*EPF303 10/16/2002
Text: State Department on Bombing in Bali, Indonesia
(Answer to question taken at Oct. 15 State Dept. briefing) (230)

The United States had no specific information of a planned bombing in Bali, Indonesia, the State Department said in response to a question taken at the October 15 daily press briefing.

Following is the text of the taken question, as released by the State Department October 15:

(begin text)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
October 15, 2002

Question Taken at the October 15, 2002 Daily Press Briefing

Indonesia -- Prewarning of Bali Bombing?

Question: Did the U.S. have specific information of a planned bombing in Bali?

Answer: The United States had no specific information of a planned bombing in Bali. If we had such information, we would have issued a public warning regarding such a potential danger.

We did receive numerous indications that terrorists were planning additional attacks around the world, and that is why we issued the Worldwide Caution on October 10. Prior to October 10, the U.S. received information about a number of non-specific threats to American interests around the world, including in Indonesia. These were the subject of a number of earlier statements and actions by the U.S., including a number of Embassy closings. As we indicated in our statements, tourists and tourist areas were and are potential targets.

The U.S. and Australia are cooperating very closely on counterterrorism issues, including in the areas of information and intelligence sharing. The U.S. would not withhold from Australia intelligence that affects Australian interests, including the safety of the Australian public.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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