A court in London has ordered the detention of a Ukrainian man implicated in a series of fires targeting assets linked to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The Westminster Magistrates' Court on May 16 handed down the ruling on 21-year-old Roman Lavrynovych, who is charged with three counts of arson in connection to fires at two properties and a car in north London that took place on May 11-12.
Lavrynovych "has been charged with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life," according to a statement from London's Metropolitan Police said.
"Due to the property having previous connections with a high-profile public figure, officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command have led the investigation into the fires," the statement added.
Lavrynovych said nothing at the hearing other than to confirm his name, date of birth, and address. He spoke through an interpreter. No other details about the suspect have been made public.
Police have not commented further on their investigation or possible motives behind the attacks.
Prosecutor Sarah Przybylska has said that in police interviews, Lavrynovych denied the arson charges.
One of the properties was Starmer's residence until be became prime minister and moved into 10 Downing Street, the official residence for the head of government.
Starmer told MPs in parliament on May 14 that the attacks are "an attack on all of us, on democracy and the values that we stand for."
No one was injured in the attacks.
