The guy behind the car bombing outside a fertility clinic in Palm Springs was just 25 years old.
The FBI says he had a pretty dark ideology and believed people shouldn’t be brought into the world without choosing it.
His name was Guy Edward Bartkus. Authorities believe he died in the blast he set off.
He drove to the clinic with a car full of explosives
Investigators say he loaded up his silver 2010 Ford Fusion with explosives and drove about an hour from Twentynine Palms to Palm Springs.
Investigators say he tried to livestream the bombing
They believe he was trying to livestream the whole thing when he set off the explosion Saturday morning.
FBI says this was a targeted attack
“The subject had nihilistic ideations and this was a targeted attack,” said Akil Davis, who runs the FBI’s Los Angeles office.
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Four people were hurt but none were from the clinic
Four others got injured in the blast but have already been released from the hospital.
None of them worked at the clinic or were patients.
The blast caused damage across the area
The explosion was strong enough that people felt it more than a mile away.
Davis called it “the largest bombing scene” the FBI has seen in southern California in a while.
Police found debris scattered in every direction, even up to 100 feet from the blast site.
The clinic building was damaged but the lab was safe
Several buildings got damaged, including the ACR fertility clinic itself.
Part of one wall was torn up, but the clinic says the lab inside, with all the eggs and embryos, is still “fully secure and undamaged.”
The doctor said luckily no patients were there
Dr. Maher Abdallah, who runs the clinic, told the Associated Press the office did take a hit.
“I really have no clue what happened,” he said. “Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.”
FBI is reviewing a manifesto they think he wrote
The FBI says they’re looking at a manifesto they believe is tied to Bartkus.
He was living in Twentynine Palms, where there’s a big marine base.
His father says they hadn’t spoken in years
His dad told CBS News Los Angeles that they hadn’t talked in over ten years.
He said his son “just changed” after moving out to Twentynine Palms.
Investigators are asking the public for help
Davis said they still need the public’s help figuring out where Bartkus was in the days before the blast.
Agents are planning to stay at the scene for another day or two while they keep investigating.
Trump administration condemned the attack
“Violence against a fertility clinic is unforgivable,” Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a statement on X.
He added: “The Trump administration understands that women and mothers are the heartbeat of America.”
