The State Department issued a public announcement Nov. 2 raising concerns that attacks similar to the Oct. 12 bombing in Bali could occur in other Southeast Asian nations. Extremist groups in the area have the ability to carry out attacks across the region, and in the aftermath of the Bali attack it is clear that Western civilians could be targeted again. Further, on Oct. 23 the U.S. Government declared Jemaah Islamiya a foreign terrorist group after detained members revealed links with al Qaeda and with previous terrorist attacks in the region.