A third suspect has appeared in court in connection with a series of arson attacks targeting properties and a vehicle associated with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Petro Pochynok, a 34-year-old Ukrainian national, faced Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life.
Wearing a grey prison tracksuit, Pochynok, of Holloway Road, Islington, North London, spoke only to confirm his identity before District Judge Daniel Sternberg.
Pochynok is accused of conspiring alongside Roman Lavrynovych, also Ukrainian, and Stanislav Carpiuc, a Ukrainian-born Romanian national.
All three are believed to be involved in a string of arson incidents across north London earlier this month. Pochynok has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at the Old Bailey on 6 June, where he will join his co-defendants.
The Metropolitan Police allege:
- 8 May: A car was set on fire on a street in Kentish Town, north London.
- 11 May: A blaze was reported at the front door of a converted house in Islington.
- 12 May: A property in Kentish Town – formerly Sir Keir Starmer’s residence before his move to Downing Street – was targeted in an early morning fire.
Police confirmed that Pochynok was arrested in Chelsea, west London, on Monday.
Lavrynovych, 21, of Sydenham in South-East London, was charged last week with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life. He denied all charges in a police interview and was remanded in custody after appearing in court last Friday.
Carpiuc, 26, from Romford, east London, appeared in court on Tuesday and was likewise remanded.
The trio now face a joint court date as investigations continue into the motives behind the attacks, which have raised serious concerns around the safety of political figures in the UK.
