British counterterrorism police have arrested a man in connection with three fires that took place in the space of five days that all appeared to be linked to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The 21-year-old was arrested in the early hours of yesterday morning on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
Police described the incidents as “arson attacks.”
Photo: AP
Officers were alerted to a blaze at a residential London home owned by Starmer in the north of the capital at 1:35am on Monday. The fire damaged the entrance to the property, but nobody was hurt, police said.
Counterterrorism police are leading the probe “as a precaution” due the high-profile nature of the property’s former resident, the Met added.
In a later statement, the Met said it was also probing two other recent fires, one at a second property on Sunday and another involving a vehicle on Thursday last week. Both that property and the car are also linked to Starmer, according to people familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity discussing an ongoing investigation.
“At this early stage of the investigation, officers are working to establish the circumstances of all three fires and are keeping an open mind as to whether there is any connection. All are being treated as suspicious at this time, and inquiries remain ongoing,” the police said.
Whatever the cause of the fires, there was no immediate danger to Starmer, who lives in Downing Street in central London, in the British prime minister’s official residence. He is believed to have rented out his house to private tenants.
The building has nonetheless been targeted by protesters in the past, with three people convicted last year of public order offenses after carrying out a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside.
“The prime minister thanks the emergency services for their work,” a No. 10 Downing Street spokesperson said. “The incident is subject to a live investigation and we will therefore not be commenting further.”
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS