Second man in court over arson attacks linked to UK PM Starmer
LONDON: A second man to be charged over a series of arson attacks on houses and a car linked to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer appeared in a London court on Tuesday.
Over five days earlier this month, police were called to fires at a house in north London owned by Starmer, another at a property nearby where he used to live, and to a blaze involving a car that also used to belong to the British leader.
Last week, Ukrainian Roman Lavrynovych, 21, was charged in connection with the fires, and on Tuesday Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 26, who was born in Ukraine, appeared in court accused of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life.
'The alleged offense arises from three fires set at locations linked to the prime minister in the last fortnight,' prosecutor Sarah Przybylska said. 'At this stage the alleged offending is unexplained.'
Neither of the suspects has been charged under terrorism laws or the new National Security Act which aims to target hostile state activity.
Police said the first fire involved a Toyota Rav4 car that Starmer used to own. Days later, there was a blaze at a property where Starmer once resided and the following day there was an attack on a house in north London that he still owns.
Starmer, who has lived at his official 10 Downing Street residence in central London since becoming prime minister last July, has called the incidents 'an attack on all of us, on our democracy and the values we stand for.'
Wearing a light blue hoodie, Carpiuc, who was arrested on Saturday at London's Luton Airport, spoke only to confirm his name and address while listening to the proceedings through a translator.
He was remanded in custody until a hearing on June 6 at London's Old Bailey court when his co-accused Lavrynovych is also due to appear.
The prosecutor said a decision would be taken at this hearing as to whether the case would proceed under the terrorism protocol.
Carpiuc's lawyer Jay Nutkins said his client had lived in Britain for nine years and had just completed a two-year degree at a university in Canterbury.
'He denies being at the scene of any of these fires,' Nutkins said.
Carpiuc funded himself through construction work, Nutkins said. On a casting website for models and actors, an entry under Carpiuc's name said he was born in western Ukraine and was seeking work as a model.
On Monday, police arrested a third man in connection with the fires and he remains in police custody.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Hopes rise as US and China hold second day of trade talks
The United States and China began a second day of trade talks on Tuesday, seeking to shore up a shaky tariff truce in a bitter row deepened by export curbs. The gathering of key officials from the world's two biggest economies began Monday in London, after an earlier round of talks in Geneva last month. Stock markets wavered as investors hoped the talks will bring some much-needed calm on trading floors and ease tensions between the economic superpowers. A US Treasury spokesman told AFP on Tuesday the 'talks resumed earlier this' morning. One of US President Donald Trump's top advisers said he expected 'a big, strong handshake' at the end of the talks in the historic Lancaster House, operated by the UK foreign ministry. Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday: 'We are doing well with China. China's not easy.' 'I'm only getting good reports.' The agenda is expected to be dominated by exports of rare earth minerals used in a wide range of things including smartphones, electric vehicle batteries and green technology. 'In Geneva, we had agreed to lower tariffs on them, and they had agreed to release the magnets and rare earths that we need throughout the economy,' Trump's top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, told CNBC on Monday. But even though Beijing was releasing some supplies, 'it was going a lot slower than some companies believed was optimal,' he added. Still, he said he expected 'a big, strong handshake' at the end of the talks. 'Our expectation is that after the handshake, any export controls from the US will be eased, and the rare earths will be released in volume,' Hassett added. He also said the Trump administration might be willing to ease some recent curbs on tech exports. Concessions? Tensions between Washington and Beijing have heightened since Trump took office in January, with both countries engaging in a tariffs war hiking duties on each other's exports to three figures -- an effective trade embargo. The Geneva pact to cool tensions temporarily brought new US tariffs on Chinese goods down from 145 percent to 30 percent, and Chinese countermeasures from 125 percent to 10 percent. But Trump recently said China had 'totally violated' the deal. 'Investors are willing to grab on to any positive trade headline right now, as this is keeping hopes of a rally alive,' said Kathleen Brooks, research director at trading group XTB. Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at the Swissquote Bank, said that although there had been 'no breakthrough' it seemed 'the first day of the second round of negotiations reportedly went relatively well.' 'Rumours are circulating that the US may be willing to make concessions on tech exports in exchange for China easing restrictions on rare earth metal exports,' she said. Rare earth shipments from China to the US have slowed since the tariff war was triggered by Trump's so-called 'Liberation Day' announcements, according to Brooks. The US leader slapped sweeping levies of 10 percent on friend and foe alike, and threatened steeper rates on dozens of economies. The tariffs have already had a sharp effect, with official figures from Beijing showing Chinese exports to the United States in May plunged by 12.7 percent. China is also in talks with other trading partners -- including Japan and South Korea -- to try to build a united front to counter Trump's tariffs. Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Tuesday urged South Korea's new President Lee Jae-myung to work with Beijing to uphold free trade to ensure 'the stability and smooth functioning of global and regional industrial and supply chains.' 'A healthy, stable, and continuously deepening China-South Korea relationship aligns with the trend of the times,' Xi said in a phone call, according to the Xinhua news agency. Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng is heading the team in London, which included Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and China International Trade Representative Li Chenggang. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are leading the US delegation.
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
UK foreign ministry staff warn of complicity in Israel's Gaza war
More than 300 civil servants at Britain's foreign ministry have written to Foreign Secretary David Lammy expressing concerns about Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza, the BBC reported Tuesday. The officials warned of potential UK 'complicity' in what they called 'Israel's violations of international humanitarian law' during the conflict in the Palestinian territory. The letter dated May 16 questioned the continuation of some UK arms sales to the country, according to the broadcaster. 'In July 2024, staff expressed concern about Israel's violations of international humanitarian law and potential UK government complicity,' the staff wrote, according to excerpts cited by the BBC. 'In the intervening period, the reality of Israel's disregard for international law has become more stark,' they added, citing the killing of humanitarian workers, restrictions on international aid and violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank. The letter added the UK government had contributed to 'the erosion of global norms,' including through weapons exports, the broadcaster reported. Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government suspended some 30 of 350 arms export licenses to Israel in September 2024, citing a 'risk' they could be used in violations of international law. London has also sanctioned settlers in the West Bank and suspended negotiations on a free trade agreement with Israel. But it continues to supply components for F-35 fighter jets to a global pool that Israel is able to access. 'Since day one, this government has rigorously applied international law in relation to the war in Gaza,' a Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said in a statement sent to AFP. The BBC reported that the two most senior officials in the FCDO replied to the letter by saying the signatories could 'resign' if they disagreed with government policy. 'This is an honorable course,' they told staff, the BBC reported, adding that the response shocked the civil servants. The FCDO spokesperson said 'it is the job of civil servants to deliver on the policies of the government of the day.' 'There are systems in place which allow them to raise concerns if they have them,' they added. The row comes as Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces growing international criticism over the war, including claims of genocide, which Israel strenuously denies. The war started after a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. The Gaza health ministry says at least 54,927 people, the majority civilians, have been killed in Israel's retaliation. The UN considers these figures reliable.
Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
UK will sanction Israel ministers Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, Times reports
LONDON: Britain and other international allies will formally sanction two far-right Israeli ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, following their conduct over the war in Gaza, the Times reported on will join Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other nations in freezing the assets and imposing travel bans on Israel's national security minister Ben-Gvir — a West Bank settler — and finance minister foreign office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the like other European countries, has been ramping up the pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to end the blockade on aid into Gaza, where international experts have warned that famine is last month suspended free trade talks with Israel for pursuing 'egregious policies' in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, summoned its ambassador, and announced further sanctions against West Bank minister David Lammy, who called Israel's recent offensive 'a dark new phase in this conflict,' has previously condemned comments by Smotrich on the possible cleansing and destruction of Gaza and relocation of its residents to third countries.
