Bermuda offers no hiding place for terrorists or their money, according to Acting Premier Eugene Cox.

In a press briefing yesterday, he said that Government was helping the international search for the terrorists but added that the risk of Bermudian businesses being involved inadvertently in handling money belonging to terrorists was very small.

Government has also asked Bermuda's banks and other financial institutions to go through their records of customers around the world to make sure that any possible links to terrorist bodies or fronts can be quickly identified and reported in a bid to catch the groups.

"The local and international community can be reassured that Bermuda offers neither a physical nor a financial hiding place for terrorism," Mr. Cox said.

He added that Government was liaising with international law enforcement agencies in the search for terrorists and the money they use to fund their activities.

"At present, Government is aware of no grounds for believing that there may be links between the terrorist organisations responsible for the recent outrages and any persons or institutions in Bermuda," he said.

He added that Bermuda's financial institutions have been subject to strict legal anti-money laundering requirements for many years, which has been endorsed by the relevant international bodies.

"Consequently we believe that the risk that Bermudian institutions may have been inadvertently involved in handling terrorist money is very small."

He confirmed that the most careful checks are being made in order to be satisfied of the full effectiveness of Bermuda's controls and to ensure that the Island's authorities can co-operate wherever necessary in the current international efforts.

Minister of Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety, Paula Cox said that the FBI has given the Bermuda police the names of 223 individuals who have been put on a stop list and said there is a separate list of hundreds of names which has been given to the Bermuda Monetary Authority, which is in charge of the regulation of the Island's financial institutions.

Ms Cox said: "There are additional names that the Bermuda Monetary Authority has on a Watch List re economic terrorism. The Department of Immigration has also added these names to the stop list."

Ms Cox added: "One thing that is very important is that the ties between the different international agencies have grown stronger. This gives you a sense of ease. It is good to know."