Cyprus police said yesterday that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation is assisting in the hunt for the body of former President Tassos Papadopoulos stolen by grave robbers.

Police spokesman Michalis Katsounotos said an FBI agent attached to the US embassy in Athens visited the Mediterranean island last week on a fact-finding tour and went to the violated grave site.

"We are waiting for the FBI to determine what kind of assistance we should be requesting," Mr Katsounotos told reporters.

He said the FBI official will file a report to his headquarters in Washington based on the evidence collected in Cyprus before deciding on the next step.

Greece and Israel have also offered their assistance in the investigation into one of the most shocking crimes in Cypriot history after the island's authorities launched an appeal through international police organisation Interpol. Police have yet to establish a motive for the macabre December 11 tomb raid which they say was "deliberate and carefully planned" as it would have taken three or four people to remove the heavy 250-kilogramme stone grave slab.

The grave-robbers used quicklime to cover their tracks but police have still managed to recover some traces of DNA from the crime scene.

The desecration of the former President's grave has drawn outraged condemnation from across the political spectrum.