Four men suspected of being terrorists are to be taken out of Bermuda -- probably with a Police escort -- to England.

The move came after cops -- acting on information from UK and US authorities -- swooped on the four Pakistani nationals, all aged in their 20s.

The news broke after the men yesterday contacted The Royal Gazette to complain about their treatment on the Island.

Tahir Choudry claimed they had been locked up, strip searched and accused of being terrorists.

Mr. Choudry added he and his friends arrived in Bermuda for a vacation on July 15 but had been trapped here ever since.

But Home Affairs Minister Quinton Edness said: "The actions taken by Police and the immigration authorities was based on the best information they had at that time and they acted in the best interests of the community.'' Mr. Edness said the behaviour of the men had aroused suspicion and Police had made inquiries overseas.

He added: "The intitial responses we got caused a great deal of concern.

"We are still not absolutely sure who they are, but with additional information we do feel more comfortable and everything is being done to assist them to their home country.'' Mr. Edness added the men were still on the Island only because the UK, US and Jamaica had refused entry to the men.

He added Bermudian officials were still talking to their opposite numbers in the UK and said he believed the British attitude was softening and the men would be allowed to go to the UK for onward flights to Karachi, Pakistan.

But Mr. Edness said: "We may have to send a Police escort with them to ensure they are in and out of England and they may have to go all the way to Karachi with them.'' And he said the departure had been delayed because of the difficulty of getting seats on planes from the UK for the men.

Mr. Edness added the men's Island visas had expired and -- while it was not normal practice to arrest people in that situation -- it was felt their "lack of co-operation'' and information from overseas justified their detention.

But Mr. Choudry insisted the four were on vacation and had visited the ex-Communist countries of Turkmanistan and Ukraine before flying through London to the Island.

Mr. Choudry said they had planned to fly to Charlotte, the Bahamas and then to Cuba from Bermuda before returning home via the Island again and London.

But when the group tried to leave the Island they were stopped at the Airport by Immigration officials who singled them out of a crowd of 200 people, he continued.

He said their property was searched and then they were told they would not be allowed to go on the flight but were not told why although they had valid passports, visas and return tickets.

Mr. Choudry stressed that none of the men had criminal records and all came from well-to-do families in Pakistan.

He said one of his companions' father owned a plot of land larger than Bermuda while another's father was an Admiral in his country's Navy.

The group decided to return to London but then changed their minds and bought tickets on a charter flight to Jamaica along with hotel accommodation.

When they tried to renew their British visas for their return to London from Jamaica they were told they could not because they would return to London through Bermuda and that could not be permitted.

They were then told British Airways had declined to carry them and that their Bermudian visas had expired while they were waiting to leave and they were arrested.

In jail, continued Mr. Choudry, the four men were strip searched and put in a cell where one of the men -- who suffered from claustrophobia -- became very ill and was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital in handcuffs.

The doctor on duty there recommended that the man should stay out of the cells but the Police put him in the small room again where he became very ill.

The men were locked up from Friday night until Sunday afternoon and were only released, claimed Mr. Choudry, because Police did not have anything to charge them with.

IMMIGRATION IMM