No armed officers were involved in the arrest.
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A member of the British Armed Forces was arrested in the English county of Somerset on Wednesday on suspicion of preparations of acts of terrorism, London police said in a press release.
The statement did not specify to which branch of the armed forces the suspect belonged.
Police in Northern Ireland are also carrying out searches as part of the investigation.
In May, the United Kingdom raised the threat level from dissident nationalist extremists for the first time since 2012.
The pre-planned arrest follows an investigation involving the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the South West Counter Terrorism Intelligence Unit.
Officers from the Met’s Counter Terrorist SO15 group joined local police from Avon and Somerset and Devon and Cornwall in the operation.
The 30-year-old was held in Somerset at around 12.20pm on Wednesday and Scotland Yard said a house in South Devon and a wooded area were being searched.
The Metropolitan Police added: “We are not able to provide further detail at this time”.
“The police and security services are working closely in response to the threat from terrorism and ask the public to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious to the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321”.
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The threat level for Northern Ireland-related terrorism in the rest of the United Kingdom was raised one level from moderate to substantial – the third-highest level – in May this year, meaning an attack is considered a strong possibility.
