A second man allegedly linked to suspected Basque militants has been arrested in Canada, authorities confirmed Wednesday.

Ivan Apaolaza Sancho, 35, is suspected of having ties to a car bombing in Madrid in 2000 that killed a Spanish military officer. Sancho's identity was released in a statement from the Spanish Interior Ministry.

In Canada, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day gave few details, except to say a man was detained.

"With two arrests, and therefore ongoing investigations, I can't say anything that would in any way influence a case, influence charges or an investigation," he said. "But it does show that our security forces are vigilant."

He said safety and security is always a concern.

"When things come to [the] attention of our security agencies then they have to take action," he said.

Sancho was reportedly arrested on a ferry in Quebec City, on his way to the French islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, near the Newfoundland coast, CTV News is reporting.

The man is allegedly a friend of Victor Tejedor Bilbao, who was arrested on June 1 in Vancouver, and charged with being in Canada illegally.

The RCMP said both men are being held on Canada Border Services Agency immigration warrants. 

"The RCMP remains committed to working with its domestic and international partners to ensure that Canada is not used as a safe-haven for those that would commit acts of violence in Canada or abroad," the RCMP said in a news release issued Wednesday night.

Bilbao has denied he's a member of the separatist group ETA, which for decades has fought the Spanish government in a bid to create an independent Basque state.

ETA is allegedly responsible for as many as 800 deaths since 1968. The group last week called off a 15-month ceasefire with the Spanish government.

With files from the Canadian Press