Police said on Wednesday they have charged a Toronto man with possession of explosives as security tightens in the run-up to the G8 and G20 summits of world leaders in Canada later this week.
Police said a 37-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday and is facing several charges including possession of explosives for unlawful purposes, attempted mischief and intimidation of the justice system.
The Integrated Security Unit did not disclose what, if any, direct threat the man may have posed to the summits. The Group of Eight meeting starts on Thursday in Huntsville, a lake district resort town in northern Ontario. The G20 meeting will follow in Toronto.
Police using a search warrant raided the Toronto house where the man was arrested, police said in a news release.
He was scheduled to make a court appearance on Wednesday afternoon, local media reported.
Officials expect the summits to be the subject of a range of protests, with the leaders protected by a C$1 billion (643.4 million pound) security plan under which areas of downtown Toronto have been fenced off. There is already a heavy police presence in the centre of the city.
Three people were arrested earlier this month in connection with an arson attack on a bank branch in Ottawa. An anarchist group claimed responsibility and said it also planned to disrupt the G20 summit. |