NICOSIA – A Lebanese-Canadian man detained in Cyprus after caught with two tons of bomb-making material in his home was linked the militant group Hezbollah.

The Phileleftheros newspaper said the 26-year-old man, still not named, belonged to the Lebanese organisation’s military wing and had ties to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The paper said the terrorist suspect arrived in Cyprus last week for what he described as a holiday.

He was arrested on May 27 after being watched. More than 400 boxes of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer that when mixed with other substances can be used to make explosives, was discovered at his home in Larnaca.

The suspect reportedly told police he knew the material was in his basement but claimed it was not his.

The Politis daily said authorities had not ruled out that he was planning an attack on Israeli targets on the Mediterranean resort island, which attracts thousands of visitors from nearby Israel each year.

“We are investigating every possibility and any links (to extremism), if they exist, will be investigated and evaluated,” said Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou, Agence-France-Presse said.

Police said the man faces possible charges of conspiracy to commit a crime, membership of a terrorist organisation and illegal possession and transfer of explosive materials.