British police apprehended a 21-year-old individual on Tuesday after the London residence of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was involved in a “suspicious” fire incident, according to reports.
The Metropolitan Police announced that the suspect was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life. This followed a fire early on Monday morning that affected the door of Starmer’s former home, prior to his election as Prime Minister, as reported by the Associated Press.
“Due to the property’s past association with a prominent public figure, and as a precautionary measure, the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command is at the helm of the fire investigation. Efforts are ongoing to determine the cause of the incident,” the Met Police stated.
Police said that the arrest also concerns two other fires that may be linked — a vehicle fire near Starmer’s house on Sunday and a May 8 door fire at a property in another part of north London. The second property is a house converted into apartments and also is linked to Starmer.
Police Community Support Officers stand near the fire-damaged doorway of a house belonging to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Kentish Town in London, on Tuesday, May 13. (AP/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
“From what other people have told me today, I gather someone threw a firebomb at Keir Starmer’s house,” he said.
The main opposition leader, Kemi Badenoch of the Conservative Party, called it “a shocking incident.”
“No one should face these sorts of threats, let alone people in public service,” she posted on X. “It’s an attack on our democracy and must never be tolerated.”
Police officers search a trash bin in Kentish Town, near British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s house in north London, on Monday. (James Manning/PA via AP)
Starmer’s house has attracted protesters in the past. Last year, three pro-Palestinian activists were arrested and charged with public order offenses after unfurling a banner covered in red handprints outside the building, the AP reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
