London crime
Stratford Road, the area from which the woman was arrested. Wikimedia commons

A banker from London has been arrested in an anti-terrorism operation, on charges of attempted murder. But the exact nature of the charges is yet to emerge.

The operation involved raids at three addresses following intelligence inputs that suggested the presence of dangerous chemicals at the properties.

Kuntal Patel, 36, works at Barclays Bank in Canary Wharf, and is a daughter of magistrate Meena Patel posted at Thames Magistrates' Court.

She was arrested from her Stratford home in east London, and is due to appear at the Westminster Magistrates' Court for hearing in the case.

The raids on three properties had also led to the arrest of 19-year-old James Sutcliffe, son of foreign office diplomat Nicholas Sutcliffe in connection with the case. However, he was released without any charges.

Police also searched the diplomat's house and an adjoining property in south London.

"A Scotland Yard team searched two properties in Wyatt Park Road in Streatham Hill, south London, on Saturday, as well as a third property where Ms Patel was arrested," Sky News reported.

Internet links were reportedly found between Patel's house and the diplomat's neighbouring house. This led to media reports claiming that counter-terror officials may have raided the wrong house.

Ron Manley, a local councillor who had known the Patels for over 20 years, described them as an "upstanding family".

"Meena is a magistrate and used to work for a local authority, Kuntal works in the City and her younger daughter Poonam is a pharmacist. They are a Hindu family and I've known the two girls since they were at primary school. They have always been very polite, very nice girls," he told the Daily Telegraph.

However, the focus of the search was to unravel criminal offence, and not terrorist activity.

The police also said that they have not found anything indicating potential risk to public.

"We are not able to discuss further at this stage," a Met statement said, even as no information was disclosed regarding the third property in connection with the alleged crime.