‘Unforgivable’: FBI official says California clinic bombing ‘act of terrorism’ as suspect is identified
A 25-year old man who allegedly believed that children born via IVF suffer has been named as the suspect in the deadly bombing of a California fertility clinic.
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A 25-year-old American man has been identified as a prime suspect in the California fertility clinic bombing “terror attack” that ended in his own death, according to reports.
Guy Edward Bartkus, from South Carolina, is believed to have detonated an explosive device in his car outside the American Reproductive Centers, which performs IVF treatments, egg collections and other procedures, law enforcement sources told The NY Post.
Bartkus allegedly described his fanatical pro-death beliefs in written and recorded manifestos as being against bringing people into the world without their consent to spare them from future suffering, KCAL news reports.
On Saturday, FBI agents swarmed his home and evacuated the neighbourhood, declaring it a “blast zone” over concerns that he could have left explosives behind, according to ABC7.
During a late-night press conference, Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, confirmed the agency was handling the investigation but declined to say whether the raid was directly connected to the recent fatal explosion outside an IVF clinic in Palm Springs.
The FBI had confirmed the suspect was the sole fatality of the bombing.
Tactical teams, armoured vehicles, including bomb squad units in full gear, surrounded the house. Those on the ground heard a loud bang and officials yell “fire in the hole,” which is common during a controlled detonation, the outlet reported.
The home is located about an hour away from the American Reproductive Centers, where a bomb explosion has been labelled an “intentional act of terrorism” by the FBI.
“As our investigation will unfold we will determine if it’s international terrorism or domestic terrorism,” Mr Davis told reporters.
In response to a question on whether the clinic in Palm Springs was purposefully targeted, Akil said: “We believe so, yes.”
The car may have been parked outside American Reproductive Centers, according to Mayor Ron DeHarte.
“We’re still trying to determine a cause,” Mr DeHarte said.
“The police and fire are down there right now. First, we heard it might be a helicopter crash or a gas leak but that’s been ruled out. We should know pretty quickly what it was. There was quite a bit of damage to surrounding buildings as well.”
Palm Springs Fire Chief Paul Alvarado said the “blast appears to be an intentional act of violence”.
“The blast field extends for blocks with several buildings damaged, some severely,” he said.
The fertility clinic confirmed no one from their facility was harmed, but that one person was killed and several were injured.
“I really have no clue what happened,” said Dr Maher Abdallah, who runs the clinic. “Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.”
Embryos stored at the facility were also unharmed, according to the clinic.
“We are heavily conducting a complete safety inspection and have confirmed that our operations and sensitive medical areas were not impacted by the blast,” the fertility clinic told the BBC.
American Reproductive Centers is described as Coachella Valley’s first and only full-service fertility centre and IVF lab, according to its website and has been operating since 2006.
A number of law enforcement bodies have descended on the scene including investigators from the FBI, while the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives would also help assess what happened.
The FBI “will be investigating whether this was an intentional act,” US Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California wrote on X.
US President Donald Trump’s Attorney-General Pam Bondi described the incident as “unforgivable” and said federal agents were working to determine exactly what had happened.
“But let me be clear: the Trump administration understands that women and mothers are the heartbeat of America. Violence against a fertility clinic is unforgivable,” she said in a statement on social media.
One witness Claudio Chavez, who has a custom upholstery shop nearby told The Post it “felt like an explosion” when the terrifying incident unfolded.
“It was so loud it felt like it shook my entire core,” he said.
“I was inside my business waiting for a client. I was sitting in my chair and it was like suddenly, like a bomb went off.
“Inside I just saw pieces of debris fall from the ceiling. Walked outside and saw my front window had totally shattered.”
He added there was a large amount of smoke too.
“Half of one building seemed to have been blown off,” he noted.
Aerial footage showed a burnt-out car in a parking lot, while the fertility’s clinic’s building roof hqe been caved in, with debris blown out widely across the street and bricks scattered everywhere.
Restaurant manager Rhino Williams, 47, was a block away when he heard the explosion and sprinted to the scene. He was forced to cover his nose with his shirt as he smelled burning plastic and rubber, he told the Associated Press.
Nima Tabrizi, 37, was also nearby inside a cannabis shop when he felt a massive explosion, describing a devastating scene afterwards.
“The building just shook, and we go outside and there’s massive cloud smoke,” Tabrizi said. “Crazy explosion. It felt like a bomb went off. … We went up to the scene, and we saw human remains.”
Originally published as ‘Unforgivable’: FBI official says California clinic bombing ‘act of terrorism’ as suspect is identified
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