Two men have been found guilty of conspiring to commit an arson attack on houses and a car connected to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
In May 2025, a car owned by Mr Starmer was set alight in Kentish Town in north London and was later followed by two further attacks, including one rented out to the PM’s sister-in-law, which he still owned.
The attacks, which were in the night, posed a serious threat to life and left householders terrified, the Old Bailey heard.
Ukrainian Roman Lavrynovych, 22, and Romanian Stanislav Carpiuc, 27, were found guilty of plotting to damage property after a jury deliberated for seven-and-a-half hours.
Co-defendant Petro Pochynok, 35, was cleared of the same charge.
Lavrynovych was also convicted of damaging two properties by fire, being reckless as to whether life was endangered, on May 11 and 12 last year.
Mr Justice Garnham remanded the defendants into custody to be sentenced on Friday.
A spokesperson for the government has called the attacks “abhorrent” and that “those responsible have now been brought to justice”.
Tory Leader Kemi Badenoch said “no-one should face intimidation, threats or attacks” due to their role in politics.
She added: “Whatever our political differences, no-one should face intimidation, threats or attacks because they hold public office.”
Police arrested the defendants within a week of the attacks ordered by a Telegram contact called El Money.
The anonymous Russian speaker had offered Lavrynovych £3,000 in cryptocurrency if the attacks were filmed and got on the news.
Following the convictions, Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London, said there was nothing to indicate El Money was a “state threat”.
However, she said that the motivation behind the attacks had been to “cause concern” and “disruption” in the community within the UK and “fear” for the prime minister.
The court heard how Lavrynovych was first tasked by El Money to set light to the Toyota Rav4 on May 8 last year.
He had tried to rope in Mr Pochynok to film it after first approaching his friend Mr Carpiuc, jurors had heard.
Three nights later, a blaze was reported at a house in nearby Ellington Street in Islington, which was managed by a company of which the PM had once been a director and shareholder.
Jurors were shown a video shot by Lavrynovych of a lit match being thrown onto accelerant on the doorstep of the address.
A resident of the top-floor flat was woken by the smell of smoke about half an hour later and escaped to the roof to call the fire brigade.
Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC said the fire spread to the hallway inside the building, posing an “obvious” risk to the occupants of the four flats.
In the early hours of May 12 last year, the PM’s former home in Kentish Town was targeted.
His sister-in-law Judith Alexander, who lived there with her partner and daughter, said in a statement: “All of a sudden I heard two bangs. It was very loud and sounded like two wheelie bins had been thrown at the door.”
“I did not see anyone on the street but when I looked down, I saw smoke and an orange glow where the front door was.”
As thick smoke crept upstairs, Ms Alexander said she had tried to call her sister Victoria, the PM’s wife.
She described her fear at the thought of “what might have happened” had she not woken up.
In the aftermath of the attacks, El Money encouraged Lavrynovych to flee, saying: “Look, you attacked the home of a very high-ranking person in Britain. I’ll send you money, you need to leave the city.
“If the police detain you, secretly write the word, ‘geranium’ and I’ll send a lawyer to you, I’ll give you money for a week and a new phone. We won’t be in touch for a week.”
Lavrynovych, of Sydenham, south London, was charged on May 15 last year.
Two days later, Mr Carpiuc was stopped at Luton Airport as he waited for a flight to Romania
In his defence, Lavrynovych admitted setting fire to the property but claimed he had been threatened by El Money.
The true identity of El Money remains a mystery but Mr Lavrynovych said he believed him to be “powerful” with political connections.
Previously, El Money had tasked him to paint racist graffiti on an Islamic community centre and post anti-Muslim fliers around for money.
Hotel worker Mr Carpiuc, from Romford, east London, said he had refused to get involved and told Mr Lavrynovych the plan was “stupid” and illegal.
His former housemate, Mr Pochynok, who was working in construction and as a Harrods delivery driver, told jurors that he did not know about the car arson plan until it was too late.
Mr Pochynok, of Islington, north London, said he thought Mr Lavrynovych wanted him to help a mutual friend with heavy suitcases and had run away when he handed him a camera phone to film.
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