A second man has been charged over suspected arson attacks on properties and a car linked to prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 26, has been charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life following a series of fires in north London, the Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday.
He is accused of conspiring with Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, 21 – who has already been charged with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life – and others unknown “to damage by fire property belonging to another, intending to damage the property, intending to endanger the life of another or being reckless as to whether the life of another would thereby be endangered”.
Carpiuc was arrested by counter terrorism officers at Luton Airport in London on Saturday and will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday morning.
Lavrynovych, of Sydenham, denied the charges in a police interview and appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday, when he was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on 6 June.
A 34-year-old man was also arrested on Monday in the Chelsea area on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life. He remains in police custody.
Police were called by the London Fire Brigade to reports of a fire at an address in Kentish Town at 1.35am on 12 May. Damage was caused to the entrance of the property – which is where Sir Keir lived with his family before they moved into 10 Downing Street – but no one was injured.
The previous week, in the early hours of 8 May, a car linked to the prime minister was set alight in the same street.
Meanwhile, in the early hours of 11 May, firefighters dealt with a small blaze at the front door of a house converted into flats in nearby Islington, which is also linked to Sir Keir.
Following the incidents, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said it is “important that the prime minister and anyone in public life has their family, their homes, protected”.
He told Sky News: “We have robust disagreements in politics, but I want to ensure anyone who chooses to go into public life feels that they’ll be properly protected and that we have civility in our debate.”
