Fifth arrest in investigation into fires in NW5 area

A man has been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into various fires that took place in NW5 in May 2025.

A 19-year-old man [E] was arrested on Wednesday, 28 January in Harlow, Essex. He was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson and was taken to an Essex police station, where he he was subsequently released under investigation, pending further enquiries.

As part of the same investigation, the Crown Prosecution Service previously authorised charges against three men in relation to a vehicle fire in NW5 on Thursday, 8 May 2025, a fire at the entrance of a property in N7 on Sunday, 11 May 2025 and a fire at a residential address in NW5 in the early hours of Monday, 12 May 2025

• Roman Lavrynovych 21 (06.02.04), of Sydenham, a Ukrainian national [A] was charged with three counts of arson with intent to endanger life.
• Stanislav Carpiuc, 26 (15.07.98) of Romford, a Romanian national, [B] was charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life.
• Petro Pochynok 34 (25.07.90) of north London, a Ukrainian national [C] was charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life.

The three men [A-C] have been remanded in custody and are due to stand trial at the Old Bailey on 27 April.

The investigation is being led by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing London due to the fires all having connections to a high-profile public figure. Anyone with information that could assist the investigation should call police on 101 quoting CAD 441/12MAY/2025.

Enquiries remain ongoing.