Persons entering Supreme Court today will be searched by Police as an extra security measure following two telephoned bomb threats yesterday.

Searches of the Magistrates' Court in the morning and Supreme Court in the afternoon turned up nothing after the bomb threats were received.

Acting Supt. Anthony Mouchette said he suspected that the calls were made by someone keen to disrupt an ongoing murder trial.

"I would urge members of the public to let justice take its course," he told The Royal Gazette.

"There appears to be a lot of interest in the case going on and a lot of outside concern... But I would like to ask people to let justice take its course. People have to have faith in the justice system."

Hundreds of people were evacuated from the Government Administration Building, Magistrates' Court and Supreme Court yesterday morning after the first call was received by a staffer in the bailiff's office in Magistrates' Court.

First to be evacuated, at around 10.15 in the morning, was Magistrates' Court. Police could not say at the time whether the threat was directed specifically at Magistrates' Court or any court in the area.

Supt. Mouchette said later that after further inquiries with the staffer receiving the call, it was determined that Magistrates' Court itself was specifically threatened.

However, he said: "My opinion is that they called a court and they just happened to be transferred to Magistrates' Court. Maybe the call was intended for Supreme Court."

When Magistrates' Court was evacuated, vehicles were prevented from entering Reid Street from the junction with Court Street and Police blocked access to Parliament Street between Reid and Church Streets.

A group of lawyers sat through the commotion at Twice Told Tales, a second hand-book store and coffee shop directly opposite Magistrates' Court.

A female police officer popped her head in to announce: "In the event this was a true bomb, you lot would not be in a safe place."

Hundreds of people remained in the Government Administration building - Police would not allow people in or out of the building - until Government decided, an hour into the scare, that it too should be evacuated.

The Supreme Court building was evacuated some 45 minutes after the Magistrates' Court evacuation, a decision taken by acting Chief Justice Archibald Warner, Police said.

Two officers from the bomb disposal unit conducted a preliminary search of Magistrates' Court, as they waited for their colleagues to arrive with equipment. They later allowed a handful of staff members in to identify and collect personal belongings.

Shortly before noon, the all-clear was given for Magistrates' Court, and Police then conducted a search of Supreme Court.

Shortly after 2 p.m., Police received another call saying that a bomb was set to go off at the Supreme Court at 3.30 p.m.

That building was immediately evacuated and Magistrates' Court informed as a courtesy. Magistrates' Court authorities decided to evacuate that building again.

Mr. Mouchette said that while yesterday's emergency at the Bermuda College required "all hands on deck" it had no impact on Police's response to the bomb scare because a number of officers were already in the court preparing to give evidence.

The response to the second scare was more muted than for the first with just three members of the bomb disposal unit on the premises and business in the area being allowed to continue as normal.

No one was allowed onto the Supreme Court grounds, however.

Supt. Mouchette described the response as one of "quiet efficiency".

"My professional hat is telling me to take all necessary precautions," he said shortly after the 3.30 p.m. deadline had passed without incident. "My streetwise hat is telling me it's a hoax."

An hour-long search of the building was conducted shortly before 4 p.m. Police plan to conduct another search at 7.30 this morning. Mr. Mouchette advised all those attending the Tekle Mallory murder trial in Supreme Court Number One not to bring too many personal belongings with them.

"We're going to be taking preventative measures," he said. "We will be searching individuals as they go into court tomorrow... They will be subjected to a frisk search."

He said yesterday's bomb scares are under active investigation. As of now there are no suspects.

Quincy Stanley (Jimbo) Brangman, 23, and Jahni Everett Bean, 19, stand jointly accused of murdering Mr. Mallory at the Ice Queen, a Paget eatery, in July 2001. They both deny the charges.