The Premier has appealed for unity among the population, saying the general election campaign has "ventured into negative spaces" with the interception of a bullet in the post.

Dr. Ewart Brown spoke about the threat to his personal safety as he addressed a meeting of the Sandys Rotary Club last night. He arrived at the King Henry VIII Restaurant accompanied by two plain-clothed bodyguards.

Security has been stepped up around the Premier after postal workers intercepted a package containing a bullet and threatening letter addressed to his Devonshire home. The package originated from within Bermuda and was discovered at the airport sorting office on Monday. Last night the Premier spoke publicly for the first time about the incident. He said: "Many of you have heard about the recent security threat to my personal safety.

"We have witnessed an intense, raucous and lengthy political campaign that has now ventured into negative spaces that are hard to imagine for the Bermuda we know and love.

"So, let me speak for a moment about the other side of Tuesday — I want to leave you with a message on unity. "A united Bermuda is more important than Ewart Brown, or Michael Dunkley, or the PLP or the UBP. "Whatever happens on Tuesday evening (December 18), we must all wake up on Wednesday morning and be Bermudians — Bermudians dedicated to putting this election campaign behind us, and forging full-steam ahead united in our effort to make our Island paradise a better place for those who come behind us.

"We must recover quickly from the ills of negative rhetoric and division and awaken to the promise of wholesome action in a patriotic, indivisible union — for the sake of our children, our elders, ourselves, our posterity. May God bless each and every one of you during this Christmas season."