SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
By Reuters
London: British police have arrested a 21-year-old man on suspicion of arson in connection with fires at properties owned by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Police were called to reports of a fire in the early hours of Monday morning at the property 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 in the early hours of Tuesday on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life in connection with the fire and two further incidents, police said.
He remains 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 the incident on Monday.
A BBC report said the Islington property was also connected to the prime minister, and the vehicle fire occurred on the same street as the Kentish Town home.
Keir Starmer is believed to have rented out his north London property.Credit: AP
There was no immediate danger to Starmer, who moved from the terraced house with his wife and two children into Number 10 Downing Street when he became prime minister last July.
“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 loud bang before a large number of police arrived at the scene.
Neighbour Charles Grant, 66, told the British Daily Telegraph he was woken by a bang 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.
“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
Starmer is believed to have rented out the Kentish Town house to private tenants.
The house has nonetheless 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
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