By Reuters
London: Police have arrested a 21-year-old man on suspicion of arson in connection with fires at properties owned by British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Police were called to reports of a fire in the early hours of Monday morning, London time, at a three-storey terrace in Kentish Town, north London, the area that Starmer represents in parliament.
Police forensics officers are seen outside Keir Starmer’s north London property.Credit: Getty Images
Nobody was injured, but damage was caused to the property’s entrance, police said.
The man was arrested early on Tuesday on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life in connection with the fire and two further incidents, police said.
He remained in custody, they added.
Police are investigating whether a fire at the entrance of a property in nearby Islington on Sunday and a vehicle fire in Kentish Town on Thursday are linked to Monday’s incident.
Keir Starmer is believed to have rented out his north London property.Credit: AP
London’s The Telegraph reported Starmer bought the Islington apartment in 1991 with his then-girlfriend before moving out in 1997 and selling the property for £170,000. The BBC said the vehicle fire occurred on the same street as the Kentish Town home.
Starmer and his wife bought the four-bedroom terrace in 2004 for £650,000, The Telegraph reported, and lived there until the family moved into Number 10 Downing Street when he became prime minister last July. There was no immediate danger to Starmer, who is believed to have rented out the Kentish Town house to private tenants.
“The fire is being investigated and cordons remain in place while inquiries continue,” the police said.
Officers from London’s Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command were leading the investigation due to the property’s connections with a high-profile public figure, police said.
‘Someone threw a firebomb’
Local residents in the quiet suburban street described how they were woken by a bang before a large number of police arrived at the scene.
Neighbour Charles Grant, 66, told The Telegraph he was roused by a loud noise in the early hours and later found police searching his garden.
“Police said they were looking for something somebody had thrown, but they didn’t find anything. They said they were looking for a projectile,” he said.
“From what other people have told me, I gather someone threw a firebomb at Keir Starmer’s house ... I don’t think the damage was too extensive as the house is still standing.”
A forensics officer works at the scene of the fire in Kentish Town, north London.Credit: Getty Images
The house has been a previous target for protesters, with three people convicted last year of public order offences after carrying out a pro-Palestine demonstration outside.
“The prime minister thanks the emergency services for their work,” a Downing Street spokesperson said. “The incident is subject to a live investigation, and we will therefore not be commenting further.”
Reuters, Bloomberg, AP
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