Indian-origin woman banker arrested in UK in ongoing anti-terrorism operation

mangaloretoday.com/ NDTV

London, Jan 30:  An Indian-origin woman banker has been arrested on the charge of attempted murder in Britain as a part of an ongoing anti-terrorism operation by the Counter Terrorism Command in London.

Daughter of magistrate Meena Patel, who sits on the bench at Thames Magistrates’ Court in East London, Kuntal Patel, 36, was arrested following anti-terror raids at three addresses in London.

 

Patel is due to appear in Westminster Magistrates’ Court today. Police have refused to give more details on the arrest.

"A 36-year-old woman (B) arrested on 26 January on suspicion of an offence under the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 remains in custody at an east London police station...We are not able to discuss further at this stage," a Met Police statement said.

"Inquiries are ongoing as part of an intelligence-led pre-planned operation," it added.

Ron Manley, a local councillor who has known the Patels for more than 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 Meena’s 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.
 
A teenage son of a senior British diplomat was also arrested following the raids but released soon after with the police saying it would take no further action against the 19-year-old.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the released teenager was the son of Nicholas Sutcliffe, a first secretary -- typically the third rung below an ambassador and the deputy head of mission in an embassy.

It quoted the teenager’s grandmother as saying: "This is nothing to do with him. He has been told by the police that he has done nothing wrong."

Sutcliffe’s sister-in-law described the arrest as "lunacy" and suggested it was a "mix-up".

Newspaper reports said the diplomat had worked in Brazil and Cuba.

The Times said counter-terrorism officers conducted the operation due to intelligence that police might find dangerous chemicals, but the focus was on potential criminal rather than terrorist offences.

Police said there was nothing to suggest the public was at risk.