London, June 6 (IANS) The intelligence that led to a high-profile raid in East London to uncover a suspected chemical device was most probably wrong, according to senior officials.

Two days of meticulous search, virtually under the glare of 24-hour news channels, has led to nothing and experts are now questioning the intelligence on which it was based. It was initially suspected that a chemical device that was to be unleashed in London was in the raided house.

The raids were conducted even as the memory of the July 7 bombings continues to be revived almost on a daily basis with new revelations and reports into the causes and its handling by emergency services.

Senior counter-terrorism officials told The Guardian that the intelligence that led to the raid was wrong but a senior police officer said they had been left with "no choice" but to force entry into the house because there was specific intelligence of a threat to public safety.

An official told the newspaper: "There is no viable device at that house. There is no device being constructed nor are there chemicals. There does not appear to be anything there or anywhere else."

A counter-terrorism official said: "If the intelligence was right, there was a serious risk to the public. We did not know if it was right or not until we went in."

Another official added: "Intelligence is patchy. Even if it suggests a five percent likelihood of something nasty, we can't take that risk."

In the operation, Mohammed Abdul Kahar was shot before being arrested with his 20-year-old brother, Abul Koyair. The police had detained both men, while their lawyers denied their involvement or links with terrorist activities.

The raid is likely to prove yet another embarrassment to the police who continue to be vilified for the shooting of an innocent Brazilian electrician at the Stockwell tube station in the tense atmosphere after the July 7 bombings.