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Three men charged with involvement in alleged arson on properties linked to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer are set to stand trial in April next year.
At a hearing in London’s Old Bailey on Friday, where two of the defendants appeared via video link from Belmarsh prison, Mrs Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb said the trio would go to trial on April 27 2026, with a plea hearing set for October this year.
Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, 21, was charged with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life last month, while Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 26, and Ukrainian national Petro Pochynok, 34, have been charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life.
Pochynok did not appear in court on Friday. The judge was told that he had refused to leave his prison cell.
A fourth man was arrested at Stansted airport on Monday and has been released on bail. He was initially stopped under the Terrorism Act before being arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life, police said.
The alleged offences relate to three fires in north London in May, including one at Starmer’s family home in Kentish Town, and another involving a vehicle previously owned by the prime minister on the same street. A third fire was at a property in Islington that is also linked to Starmer.
The Financial Times revealed last month that British security officials were investigating whether Russia may be involved in the three arson attacks and that discussions were being held on how best to respond if that was the case.
Lavrynovych and Carpiuc, both wearing prison grey tracksuits, spoke only to confirm their names and birth dates. Lavrynovych was assisted by an interpreter.
The trio were denied bail in the magistrates court last month and will continue to remain in custody. No application for bail was made on Friday.
Carpiuc was arrested at Luton airport, while Pochynok was arrested in Chelsea. Lavrynovych was the first to be apprehended by police on May 13.
Last month, prosecutor Sarah Przybylska told the court that the defendants’ alleged offending was “unexplained”.
The incidents are being investigated by the Metropolitan Police’s counterterrorism command in light of the connection to Starmer.
