Second arrest for arson attacks at British PM's home

London, May 18 (IANS) A 26-year-old man was arrested at London Luton Airport on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life.

Local media had confirmed on Saturday that the arrest relates to the arson attacks at the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's home last week.

This is the second arrest related to the arson attack with the intent to endanger life, said London's Metropolitan Police in its news statement on Saturday.

The police said counterterrorism officers from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit made the arrest, and the man has been taken into police custody in London, Xinhua news agency reported.

The arrest, which took place shortly before 2 p.m., follows a series of fires at properties connected to PM Starmer.

Police were called by the London Fire Brigade to reports of a fire at an address in Kentish Town at 1:35 a.m. on Monday.

Damage was caused to the entrance of the property, where PM Starmer lived with his family before they moved into 10 Downing Street, but no one was injured.

A car linked to PM Starmer was set alight in the early hours of May 8 in the same street.

In the early hours of May 11, firefighters dealt with a small fire at the front door of a house converted into flats in nearby Islington, which is also linked to the British PM.

Last week, a 21-year-old man, identified as Roman Lavrynovych, was charged with arson with intent to cause a fire at the Prime Minister's home in London.

Lavrynovych, a 21-year-old Ukrainian national, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' court on Friday accused of three counts of arson with intent to endanger life over the three fires, which took place last week.

British police were last week called to a blaze at the property in Kentish Town, north London -- the constituency Starmer represents.

No one was injured, but the entrance to the home was damaged.

Lavrynovych was arrested the following day in connection with that fire and two further incidents -- a fire at the entrance to an apartment block in nearby Islington and a fire involving a car, a Toyota RAV4, in Kentish Town, both taking place on separate days.

The car and both the properties were linked to Starmer, the court heard.

Counter-terrorism police led the investigation given the involvement of such a high-profile public figure, the police said.

--IANS

int/khz