Canada police make 2nd explosives arrest before G20

A police officer stands guard as people cross the street ahead of the G20 summit in Toronto, June 22, 2010.

TORONTO (Reuters) - Toronto police, on high alert before the G8 and G20 summits, said on Thursday they had arrested a woman on explosive and firearms charges whose common-law husband was earlier arrested on similar charges.

They said the 37-year-old woman was arrested on Wednesday and charged with possession of an explosive device and possession of a weapon for dangerous purposes. She was due to appear in a Toronto court later in the day.

The Integrated Security Unit, which is overseeing a massive security operation to protect the summits, did not say what, if any, direct threat the two may have posed but said there was "no risk to public safety at this time."

The arrest was made after police executed search warrants in Tiny and Lake of Bays, two communities in northern Ontario.

The woman's 37-year-old common-law husband was arrested on Tuesday. He faces several charges including possession of explosives for unlawful purposes, attempted mischief and intimidation of the justice system.

The G8 meeting starts on Thursday in Huntsville, Ontario, a lake district resort town north of Toronto. The G20 meeting will follow in downtown Toronto at the weekend.

(Reporting by Ka Yan Ng; Editing by David Storey.)