Man arrested with weapons near Toronto summit site

TORONTO – A 53-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a suspicious car found in downtown Toronto that was filled with weapons including a bow and arrow and tools.

It is believed the car and weapons were found during a routine traffic stop. The area where the arrest was made was blocked off as officers launched their investigation.

Earlier Thursday, G20 police arrested and charged a Toronto woman as part of an ongoing investigation that involved the execution of a search warrant earlier this week in Toronto.

Visual artist Kristen Peterson, 37, was charged Thursday with possession of an explosive device and possession of weapon for a dangerous purpose after Toronto police executed additional search warrants Wednesday in the townships of Tiny and Lake of Bays, Ont.

Peterson’s common-law spouse, Byron Sonne, also 37, was charged Wednesday with six offences: possession of explosive for an unlawful purpose, intimidation of a justice system participant by threat, intimidation of a justice system participant by watch and beset, mischief, attempted mischief and possession of dangerous weapons.

"It’s my understanding there is evidence that suggests the charges are in relation to the G20, but because it’s an ongoing investigation, I can’t get into details," said Integrated Security Unit spokeswoman Jillian Van Acker of the charges against the couple. "However, we’ve been informed that there is no risk to public safety at this time."

The Toronto Police Service is part of the Integrated Security Unit, which is led by the RCMP. The ISU is in charge of security at the G20 and G8 summits in Toronto and Huntsville, Ont., happening this week.

The initial search warrant was executed on Tuesday at 58 Elderwood Dr. in Toronto – a home police say they believe is in Sonne’s name.

Police wouldn’t provide any further information about the couple, or say whether they were known to police.

Nearby residents had little information about the couple. The affluent area is home to doctors, lawyers and top executives.

Sonne and a woman moved into the home five or six years ago, neighbours said.

"They were quiet, kept to themselves," said one neighbour, refusing to give her name.

A profile on the social networking site LinkedIn lists Sonne as the owner of Certified Information Systems Security Professional and as a licensed private investigator.

He has experience in the IT field and belongs to a number of groups, including the Toronto Area Security Klatch (TASK) and Hacklab.to, which describes itself as "Toronto’s hacker collective."

Robert Beggs, an information security expert, said he met Sonne during several presentations Sonne had made to TASK about how computer networks communicate back and forth.

"His job in at least two companies was to find the holes in computer products and identify why the holes are there and how to fix it so that it can’t be exploited by someone with malicious intent," Beggs, a member of the TASK steering committee, said.

With files from Canwest News Service and the National Post