Canadian police yesterday arrested the driver of a car laden with five gas canisters, a chainsaw and a home-made crossbow close to the Toronto centre where G20 leaders will meet, AFP witnessed.

The grey-haired, bespectacled driver was hustled away by police after they stopped his car because it was topped with a homemade steel container.

The metal storage box was riveted together and balanced on some foam as it drove past the Novotel hotel in the centre of the city which is hosting world leaders this week.

"I'm really glad we found this," said one policeman to AFP as his colleagues leafed through the contents of silver Hyundai, which were emptied onto the roadside and surrounded by police cyclists. Another policeman confirmed with a nod that one man had been arrested.

It was the second such arrest in two days, after police on Wednesday arrested a man and a woman in a home close to Toronto, and charged them with possession of explosives.

Inside the car they found five blue and red fuel canisters, some only partially full, a half-empty bottle of coke, a bundle of arrows with red and yellow tips, as well as a large chainsaw, the homemade orange steel crossbow and a baseball bat.

Three medium-sized suitcases were found to be stuffed with batteries, scribbled notebooks, and a copy of "100 ways to Make Money on the internet".