The man is returned to fires on the houses and the car linked to Starmer

A Ukrainian man was placed in pre -trial detention after appearing before the court charged in connection with fires on two properties and a car linked to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Roman Lavrynovych, 21, who BBC understands is a manufacturer and a roofer, is accused of three criminal fire leaders with the intention of endangering life after fires in places in northern London. He did not plead for the accusations.

The accused, assisted by an interpreter, spoke only to confirm his name, his date of birth and his address on Friday during a short hearing at the Westminster Court of First Instance.

He will then appear at the Old Bailey for a plea preparation and trial hearing on June 6.

“At this stage, the alleged offense is unexplained,” prosecutor Sarah Przybylska said on Friday.

Ms. Przybylska also told court that Lavrynovych had been interviewed under caution after her arrest and denied a criminal fire.

The court also learned that the accelerator, preliminary considered as a “slow burning nature”, was used in at least one of the fires.

Mr. Lavrynovych was arrested at an address in Sydenham in the early hours of Tuesday and charged on Thursday.

The Metropolitan Police Terror Command conducted the investigation due to the links with a high -level public figure.

In the early hours of Monday, the emergency services responded to a fire at the Kentish city house where Sir Keir lived before becoming Prime Minister and move into 10 Downing Street.

Police were alerted by London firefighters to information reporting at the residential address at 01:35 BST.

Damage was caused at the entrance to the property, but no one was injured.

The BBC understands that the property is rented to the prime minister’s sister-in-law.

Four days earlier, on May 8, a car that Sir Keir sold to a neighbor last year was lit in the same street.

In the early hours of Sunday, the firefighters faced a small fire at the front door of a house transformed into apartments in Islington nearby, which is also linked to the Prime Minister.

One person was helped to safety via an internal staircase by crews bearing a respiratory system, said the firefighter.