Diplomat's son reportedly arrested by terror police in London raid

The garden of a British diplomat is believed to have been dug up after his son was arrested on Saturday

(Getty Images)

A son of a British diplomat has been arrested under anti-terror laws following a police investigation into an alleged toxic chemical terror threat, it has been reported.

It is believed that one of the 19-year-old twin sons of Foreign Office First Secretary Nicholas Sutcliffe was questioned by specialist police officers, and has since been released on bail until April.

The reportedly £650,000 house in Streatham, south London, is being investigated by weapons experts following a raid at 8am on Saturday morning.

Officers have put up floodlights and tents in the gardens of neighbouring houses in Wyatt Park Road, where the teenager was reportedly arrested.

Neighbours told the Daily Mail that a ‘motorcade’ of more than 30 officers closed off the road in Streatham Hill, and had dug up the garden of the house.

They said officers were wearing protective clothing and carrying breathing equipment, which police said was a precautionary measure.

The teenager is thought to be one of Nicholas and Carole Sutcliffe’s four children.

Nicholas Sutcliffe has represented the UK as First Secretary since 2001 at embassies in Brazil and Cuba.

A 36-year-old woman who was also arrested in connection with the investigation in Stratford on Monday, remains in police custody at an east London police station.

The police said in a statement: “Public safety is a priority and at this stage there is nothing to suggest members of the public in the immediate area are at risk.”

The Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 allows the Home Secretary to indefinitely detain, without charge or trial, foreign nationals who are suspected of terrorism.

It also covers aiding or abetting the overseas use or development of chemical or biological weapons.