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14 July 2006

Lord Levy - Twisted Firestarter?

Follow the money and you'll find the perp. But the trouble with following the money is that money, like any other paper trail, burns.

Back in November 2005, well before police investigations began into New Labour treasurer, Lord Levy, his Marylebone offices were devastated by a mysterious fire.

On Wednesday of this week Lord Levy was arrested.

The same day two massive fires also broke out in London.

So remote are the chances of this occurring, the London Fire Brigade said it was "extraordinarily rare" to get two fires requiring 100 firefighters each, within the space of 24 hours.

One of the fires occurred at the Bow offices of Iron Mountain, the not-so-fine purveyors of 'Information Protection and Storage'. The building held "archived, inactive business records" but there was no mention of whose records. At the time it was reported that the building, in Twelvetrees Crescent, would be alight for two to three days.

This was the second of the two fires that occurred on the day Lord Levy was arrested.

The first happened much earlier at a building site in Colindale, North-West London, where two buildings blazed for hours. So large were the fires that roads were closed off and hundreds of local residents in the surrounding area were evacuated, including staff at the Hendon Police College.

Coincidentally enough, the other notable place that was evacuated as a result of the Colindale fire was the very police station to which Lord Levy had been taken for questioning by the plod after his arrest.

Levy was released on bail of £250,000, but who put up the cash? Who is the firestarter, the twisted firestarter? And how many coincidences does it take to constitute a conspiracy?

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Update: Not only was this the second London fire in a day that required the attendance of over 100 fire-fighters, it was also the second fire to befall the Iron Mountain company in as many days, the previous one having occurred a day earlier in Ottawa, Canada. In his analysis of the two fires that hit Iron Mountain facilities, John Webster, writing for Computer World, wrote in summary:

However, there's another significant clue that points in a different direction. It turns out that the London facility contained the records of several prominent attorneys.

Here's my take: The two fires were in fact coincidental. One was an accident (Ottawa) and one was set (London). The London fire was set by a prominent socialite bent on destroying his recently late father's will -- one that did not include him.


Curiouser and curiouser.

6 comments:

The Antagonist said...

Lord Sainbury is in for questioning. I wonder how many Nectar points that's going to be worth.

Plod are also having a word with Jon Snow and, elsewhere, Guido fingers Lord Drayson, who apparently organised the terms of his own peerage, without requiring the services of Mr Levy, thereby indicting a certain mass-murdering war criminal who, along with his cronies, should be taken to the Hague once plod have finished with him.

See the cellars of Westminster for updates.

Anonymous said...

'And how many coincidences does it take to constitute a conspiracy?'


Oh, none at all in your case.

But help is available.

The Antagonist said...

At last, an amusing Anonymong. Well done!

Anonymous said...

sorry, 'off-topic'....maybe you should alphebetically order your link list. More user friendly.

The Antagonist said...

Thanks for the UI tip Joan, duly noted. The links list has been due an overhaul for a while now....

Anonymous said...

This search of House of Commons/lords questions have been asked re the Twelvetrees Crescent Iron Mountain Fire in London, throws up some interesting results, (including this:)

7 Nov 2006
Lord Hanningfield (Conservative) Hansard source

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What files were lost by the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control in the fire at the paper records warehouse in Twelvetrees Crescent, London, in July; what impact these losses will have on the institute; whether any work or projects will be affected, delayed or abandoned as a result of the fire; and what costs were incurred.


Lord Warner (Minister of State (NHS Reform), Department of Health) Hansard source

The files lost in this fire were 71 boxes of scientific test records from the National Institute for Biological Standards and Controls (NIBSC) immunology, haematology and bacteriology divisions and some staff health records of former employees.

Most of the consequences of the losses are contingent on future events. The loss of the scientific records could make replacement of some future international standards more demanding on the NIBSC and collaborating laboratories, although only one of the 15 standards concerned is likely to be replaced in the foreseeable future. The loss of the staff health records might hinder the institute's response to any future legal action by a past employee. The institute is not aware of any such action being considered by any former staff member whose records were affected.


Will there be a future link to a Bird Flu type scam?