A Ukrainian man was found guilty on Monday of carrying out arson attacks on properties connected to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in May last year. Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, were convicted at London's Old Bailey Court of conspiracy to commit arson. A third defendant, Petro Pochynok, was acquitted.
Key Takeaways
A Ukrainian man was found guilty of arson attacks on properties linked to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in May 2025, carried out under the direction of an anonymous Telegram handler known as 'EL Money'. The fires targeted a car and two houses connected to Starmer. Two men were convicted, while a third was acquitted.
- Roman Lavrynovych found guilty of arson attacks on properties linked to Keir Starmer
- Attacks carried out under direction of mysterious Telegram handler 'EL Money'
- Fires occurred over five days in May 2025 targeting car and two houses
- Two men convicted, third acquitted; sentencing scheduled for Friday
- Police found no evidence linking attacks to Russian state
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▼Source Claims Check
2 Differences FoundAll 4 publishers report consistent facts across 3 key claims. 2 points of difference noted.
| Claim | Status | Reason | |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Money's Identity | 1 Difference | Reuters and The Guardian report that 'EL Money' identity remains unknown, while Fox News suggests he is a Russian diplomat named Evgeny Lyukshin. | ▼ |
| Russian State Involvement | 1 Difference | Reuters and The Guardian emphasize lack of evidence linking Russia to attacks, while Fox News frames 'EL Money' as part of Russian state-backed operation. | ▼ |
| Arson Attacks | Broad Agreement | Arson attacks on properties linked to UK PM Keir Starmer in May 2025. | |
| Convictions | Broad Agreement | Roman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc found guilty of conspiracy to commit arson. | |
| Acquittal | Broad Agreement | Petro Pochynok acquitted of charges. |
El Money's Identity
▼Reuters and The Guardian report that 'EL Money' identity remains unknown, while Fox News suggests he is a Russian diplomat named Evgeny Lyukshin.
Russian State Involvement
▼Reuters and The Guardian emphasize lack of evidence linking Russia to attacks, while Fox News frames 'EL Money' as part of Russian state-backed operation.
Arson Attacks
Broad AgreementArson attacks on properties linked to UK PM Keir Starmer in May 2025.
Convictions
Broad AgreementRoman Lavrynovych and Stanislav Carpiuc found guilty of conspiracy to commit arson.
Acquittal
Broad AgreementPetro Pochynok acquitted of charges.
This analysis is AI-generated and may not perfectly represent each source's reporting. Always read the original articles for full context.
The attacks targeted a house in north London connected to Starmer, another property where he previously lived and his sister-in-law still resided, and a Toyota car that once belonged to the prime minister. The fires occurred over five days last May, with Lavrynovych found guilty of two counts of committing arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered.
According to court evidence, Lavrynovych was directed by an anonymous Telegram handler using the name 'EL Money', who communicated in both Russian and Ukrainian. Prosecutors did not identify who or what entity was behind the account. Police recovered over 320 messages between EL Money and Lavrynovych, dating back to September 2024.
Commander Helen Flanagan of counter-terrorism policing in London stated there was no evidence linking the attacks to Russian state involvement. She noted that while a Russian-speaking entity created the taskings, there was no indication of a state-backed threat targeting Starmer. The defendants will be sentenced on Friday.
The case has raised concerns about foreign interference and sabotage operations potentially linked to Russia's intelligence services. However, prosecutors emphasized that the jury did not need to determine EL Money's identity or motivations. Lavrynovych claimed he was unaware of Starmer's identity and acted out of financial necessity, needing money to help his ailing father.
How this summary was created
This summary synthesizes reporting from 4 independent publishers using AI. All sources are cited and linked below. NewsBalance is a news aggregator and media literacy tool, not a news publisher. AI-generated content may contain errors or inaccuracies — always verify important information with the original sources.