LONDON: A 21-year-old man was charged Thursday with three counts of arson for fires that targeted two properties and a car linked to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The Metropolitan Police force said Roman Lavrynovych, who was arrested Tuesday, was charged with arson with intent to endanger life.

The charges are linked to three incidents over the past week — a car fire on May 8, a fire Monday at Starmer’s private home that damaged the door of the house, and a fire Sunday outside a north London house converted into apartments connected to the UK leader. No injuries were reported from any of the fires.

Lavrynovych, a Ukrainian national, is due to appear in court on Friday. After he was arrested, Lavrynovych has remained in custody after warrants of further detention were obtained, the police said in a statement.

Starmer moved with his family to the prime minister’s official Downing Street residence after taking office in July.

The investigation was led by counterterrorism detectives as it involves the prime minister. Authorities are also probing whether there was state involvement as well as looking at other potential motivations.

Earlier this week, Starmer said the recent arson attacks represented “an attack on all of us, on democracy and the values that we stand for.”

The attacks were condemned by leaders across the House of Commons, including by the Conservative Party’s Kemi Badenoch, who described them as “completely unacceptable.”

Starmer’s former 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.

SKOPJE, North Macedonia: European Council President António Costa on Thursday called on North Macedonia to change its constitution to include protections for its Bulgarian minority as a way for the country to continue its path toward full European Union membership.
The EU started membership talks with Albania and North Macedonia in 2022, as the war in Ukraine forced a rethink of the bloc’s enlargement process.
North Macedonia’s bid was delayed by a dispute with Bulgaria over Balkan history, language and culture. To break the impasse, North Macedonia’s previous center-left government accepted a Bulgarian demand to insert a reference to the Bulgarian ethnic minority in North Macedonia’s constitution. However, that administration lacked the parliamentary majority to implement the change.
Costa said that the small Balkan country should now deliver what was previously agreed upon.
“I know how difficult it is to achieve. Now is the time to conclude the whole thing and open a new page,” Costa told reporters at a news conference in the North Macedonian capital, Skopje, alongside the country’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski.
Mickoski, for his part, said the bloc’s enlargement must be based on merits, not bilateral issues. His conservative government, which came to power last year, has said it will only amend the constitution if Bulgaria first approves North Macedonia’s EU membership.
“We have a problem, and it should be a two-way street. If only one side delivers, it is not realistic,” he said.
Costa is visiting six Western Balkan countries, which are at different stages on their path to full EU membership. Montenegro and Albania have been at the forefront while Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and North Macedonia are lagging behind.
In Tirana, his last stop of the regional tour, Costa hailed Albania for being “on track to join the European Union.”
“Keeping up the pace and intensifying work on European Union reforms is now key, particularly rule of law and fight against corruption,” said Costa at a news conference with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.
Rama’s Socialist Party says it can deliver EU membership in five years, an ambitious pledge as he confronts an opposition that argues Albania isn’t ready for EU membership.
In Tirana, Costa will co-host the European Political Community, a forum that gathers 47 European leaders with the aim of boosting security and prosperity across the continent.