Arrest (illustrative)
Arrest (illustrative)Thinkstock

Police in Cyprus arrested a 26 year-old Lebanese man on Thursday on suspicion of planning terror attacks against Israelis in the island nation, after finding two tons of fertilizer and the explosive chemical ammonium nitrate in his Larnaca home.

Sources told Reuters on Friday that the materials were being prepared to be used against Israeli targets in Cyprus, which is a popular Israeli tourist and business spot due to its proximity and relative friendliness toward the Jewish state. The Israeli embassy is in Nicosia.

Cyprus police are also checking whether the man has any connections to Hezbollah; he has been named as having a possible connection to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The suspect also has Canadian citizenship, according to the Lebanese Daily Star.

Proceedings against the yet-unnamed man are being held behind closed doors for national security reasons, the paper added. He was sentenced to eight days in police custody Thursday by a magistrate court.