The four Uighurs secretly brought to the Island three months ago have been deemed a moderate threat by the Bermuda Police Service although the service said it had no specific concerns.

The security assessment was one of the outstanding matters that must be cleared up before the Uighurs are allowed remain in Bermuda. Governor Sir Richard Gozney released a statement yesterday saying a security assessment had been completed on the four men who spent seven years in the US terrorist detention centre Guantánamo Bay.

They were twice cleared as enemy combatants by the US and came here on a private plane from Cuba three months ago, sparking what Premier Ewart Brown described as a local and international "firestorm".

Yesterday Sir Richard said: "The assessment of the threat is that it is not high. A moderate assessment means that the Bermuda Police Service will continue to monitor the situation, but have no specific concerns. "There is no information to suggest that the four Uighurs will engage in criminal activity in Bermuda."

He added that the full assessment would not be made public because it contains personal information on the men.

Premier Brown's press secretary Glenn Jones said last night:<\p>"Back in June the Premier informed the public this matter should not be considered final until Government House had completed its work. It appears now that has happened and we are pleased with the ultimate findings of this months-long review.

"Tonight the hearts and minds of four innocent men are put at ease and an awesome act of humanity is now complete."

He later clarafied that he believed the humanitarian effort had been completed becasue the "freedom and safety" of the Uighurs was the objective of the Police assessment.

Sir Richard noted that while the security assessment was complete the UKwas still dealing with another matter in relation to the Uighers.

"Quite separate is the issue of how the Uighurs were brought here, invited by the Bermuda Government in contravention of the Bermuda Constitution, and resolution of the issue of them being here, which is outstanding," he said.

"Discussion between the British Government and the US Administration continues. All that has been announced today is the assessment of any threat posed by them or to them."

Sir Richard said the assessment took into account the background, of possible association with groups prepared to use violence to achieve their ends and associated training, as well as difficulties they may face both because of an unfamiliar environment and years of detention.

The security assessment was one of four outstanding issues when it came to the future of the former detainees and the impact of their arrival on the Island.

The ongoing talks between the US and UK, is one of the unresolved issues. The second is how the men will remain on the Island in the long-term if allowed to by the UK.

The Attorney General, Kim Wilson, has said it is unlikely they will ever gain Bermudian status because nothing currently exists in law to allow them to apply or be given Bermudian status or any kind of permanent residency or naturalisation.

The third issue that must still be resolved is the status of Bermuda's general entrustment agreement with the UK. The agreement allows Bermuda's leaders to negotiate with other countries on certain matters without asking for permission from Britain on every occasion.

In July, Lord Malloch-Brown, a Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, told the House of Lords the general entrustment agreement was being reviewed as a direct result of Premier Brown's decision to negotiate the Uighurs' resettlement with the US, without informing the UK.

Sir Richard and the FCO have said he had no authority to do so as the matter involved external affairs and was therefore outside the remit of the Bermuda Government.