LONDON — Authorities have taken into custody a 21-year-old individual, suspected of initiating multiple fires, including one at the private home of U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Additionally, another property linked to Starmer and a vehicle were reportedly affected by the suspect’s actions.
The Metropolitan Police reported the arrest occurred following an early-morning blaze on Monday which caused damage to the entrance of Starmer’s previous residence, the dwelling he occupied with his family prior to becoming the nation’s leader.
The detained individual is also under investigation for involvement in two other fire incidents, potentially related. On Sunday, a vehicle fire broke out near Starmer’s residence, and on May 8, another fire damaged the door of a different North London property, a house modified into multiple apartments that also holds connections to Starmer.
Fortunately, none of these incidents resulted in injuries, authorities confirmed. Starmer himself currently does not reside at his private home but, since assuming office in July, has been living with his family at the prime minister’s official Downing Street residence.
The Metropolitan Police indicated that counterterrorism specialists are spearheading the investigation due to the property’s historical links to a prominent public figure. Local resident Charles Grant mentioned that police investigation efforts were evident as they searched his property on Monday, claiming they were hunting for a “projectile.”
“From what I’ve gathered today, there might have been an attempt to throw some sort of incendiary device at Keir Starmer’s residence,” he recounted.
Previously, Starmer’s home has been the focus of demonstrations. In an incident last year, three activists supporting pro-Palestinian causes were apprehended and accused of public order violations after displaying a protest banner outside the house.
Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the opposition from the Conservative Party, criticized the events, describing them as “alarmingly unexpected.” She wrote, “No individual, particularly those serving in public roles, should be subject to these threats,” in a post on social media. “It’s a direct affront to our democracy and intolerable in any context.”