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A second man has been arrested in reference to the alleged arson assaults concentrating on properties linked to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the Metropolitan Police stated.
The arrest of the 26-year outdated suspect at Luton airport on Saturday follows fees being introduced in opposition to Roman Lavrynovych, a Ukrainian nationwide, this week, after three fires together with one at Starmer’s household house.
Counterterror police have been main the investigation. Lavrynovych, 21, has been charged with three counts of arson with an intent to hazard life. The second suspect, who investigators haven’t named and is but to be charged, was arrested on comparable grounds, police stated.
“The 26-year-old was arrested round 13:45hrs on Saturday, 17 Could at London Luton airport on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to hazard life,” the police stated in an announcement.
“The arrest was made by counterterrorism officers from the Japanese Area Particular Operations Unit. The person has been taken into police custody in London.”
“All [the fires] have earlier connections with a high-profile public determine, and subsequently officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command have led the investigation into the fires.”
Alongside the hearth at Starmer’s household house in Kentish City north London — which he’s understood to have been renting out since getting into Downing Road final 12 months — one other property as soon as linked to the prime minister in Islington additionally caught fireplace, as did a automotive he as soon as owned on the identical road because the household house, all within the house of per week.
At a listening to at Westminster Justice of the Peace’s Courtroom on Friday Lavrynovych was detained forward of a listening to on the Previous Bailey on June 6. He was first arrested on Tuesday.
His authorized staff didn’t request bail.
Prosecutor Sarah Przybylska advised the courtroom that his alleged offending was presently “unexplained”.
Przybylska stated that Lavrynovych had denied arson when interviewed underneath warning. She alleged he had used “accelerants” to start out the fires.
Lavrynovych spoke solely to substantiate his identification and had proceedings translated for him by a Ukrainian interpreter.
