Man arrested over alleged arson attacks after fires at homes owned by UK Prime Minister
by Press Association, https://www.thejournal.ie/author/press-association/ · TheJournal.ieA 21-YEAR-OLD MAN has been arrested over suspected arson attacks on two properties owned by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The Metropolitan Police said the suspect was arrested in the early hours of this morning on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life.
Emergency services were called to blazes at the doors of two homes in north London within 24 hours of each other – one just after 1.30am yesterday and the other on Sunday.
Police are investigating whether the fires were linked and counter-terrorism officers are leading the inquiry because the properties have connections to a high-profile public figure.
Scotland Yard is also looking into a vehicle fire on 8 May as part of the probe.
Yesterday , a police cordon and officers, as well as investigators from London Fire Brigade (LFB), could be seen outside a Kentish Town property, where the Prime Minister used to live.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I can only say that the Prime Minister thanks the emergency services for their work and it is subject to a live investigation. So I can’t comment any further.”
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Starmer is understood to still own the home but lives at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Downing Street.
Police were alerted by the LFB to reports of a fire at the residential address at 1.35am.
Damage was caused to the property’s entrance but nobody was hurt.
In the early hours of Sunday, firefighters dealt with a small fire at the front door of a house converted into flats in nearby Islington, which is also linked to Starmer.
One person was assisted to safety via an internal staircase by crews wearing breathing apparatus, LFB said.
The car fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday 8 May in the same street as the Kentish Town property.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick told Sky News today: “It’s important that the Prime Minister and anyone in public life has their family, their homes, protected.
“We have robust disagreements in politics but I want to ensure anyone who chooses to go in to public life feels that they’ll be properly protected and that we have civility in our debate.
“It is absolutely wrong, disgraceful, for any individual to take the kind of action that we saw against the Prime Minister’s home.”