MEXICO CITY (AFP) - The Mexican police arrested an American man on Sunday who had 6,356 rounds of ammunition and an array of weapons in his car, the authorities said.

The man was driving a BMW vehicle with licence plates from the state of Ohio, the police said in a statement.

The 44-year old man claimed the pistol, shotgun, cross bow and large amounts of ammunition in the car were for hunting, the authorities said. He was arrested after his vehicle was detected by officials on security cameras.

Guns are illegal in Mexico, except for use by government forces. The statement said the man acknowledged the illegality of the weapons.