The prime suspect in a fatal car bombing which was staged outside a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, was identified by officials on Sunday, and they indicated that the explosion was targeted at the in vitro fertilization clinic.
The suspect was identified as 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus of Twentynine Palms, about 50 miles east of Palm Springs, Assistant Director Akil Davis of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office said in a Sunday afternoon news conference.
Bartkus is believed to be the person who died with the exploded vehicle, Davis added. At least four others were injured in the Saturday morning explosion.
The man had nihilistic ideas, and that was directed at the IVF clinic,” Davis said. “Make no mistake, we are pursuing this, as I said yesterday, as an act of terror.”
Davis said detectives served a search warrant on Bartkus’ home and continued to canvass the house on Sunday. Detectives were also reviewing Bartkus’ writings, including what Davis described as a “manifesto,” and his online activity.
They believe Bartkus attempted to live-stream the bombing, Davis said.
Davis supplemented that Bartkus was operating a silver 2010 Ford Fusion sedan. He urged anybody who noticed the vehicle in Palm Springs to reach out to the investigators, who are ongoing in attempting to reconstruct Bartkus’ activities in the city.
The investigators know Bartkus’ whereabouts at 6 a.m. on Saturday and the hour he entered the city, but parts of his activities remain under investigation, Davis added.
The blast shattered windows and sent debris hurtling in all directions, Davis continued.
All four of the people injured in the explosion have been released from the hospital, Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills told Sunday’s press conference.
The explosion in the 1300 block of Indian Canyon Drive in Palm Springs occurred about 11 a.m. local time Saturday, rattling nearby buildings and producing a fire and a building collapse, police added. The debris field was over 250 yards wide.
“All due to the professionalism and expediency of the Palm Springs Fire Department Station 1, Palm Springs Police Department, and the FBI bomb technicians, we were able to recover all of the embryos from this facility,” said Davis. “They understood the sensitivity and the preciousness that existed and they treated everything with the utmost care so that there would be no loss of any sensitive material.”
Witness Nima Tabrizi told ABC News on Sunday morning that he and his girlfriend were vacationing in Palm Springs and were at a store about 200 yards from the IVF clinic when they both heard a “big boom.”
“We were like, wait a minute, what happened?” Tabrizi said. “The next thing we know, we look right and there’s a bunch of people pointing, getting out their cameras. We see a cloud of smoke.”
Tabrizi said the explosion was like a “sonic boom” and at first he believed a plane had crashed. He explained that he and his girlfriend were staying in a rented property that was some 100 yards from the IVF clinic.
Tabrizi explained that he and his girlfriend jumped into their car and headed in the direction of the blast.
When we pulled in, we see what seemed like human remains on the street and we immediately pull up right behind the IVF clinic and see fire fighters putting out a fire that seems to be the car,” Tabrizi said, going on to say that a liquor store next to the IVF clinic had every window blown out and that the front of the IVF clinic was completely blown out.
“It was a kind of crazy scene,” Tabrizi said. “Didn’t quite know what was happening, if there was going to be anything more that would happen after; just kinda kept it under control, kept it focused, just was just very cognizant of my environment. To be frank, I wasn’t all that afraid because I thought the worst had already happened as we approached it.”
Tabrizi stated, “We went on vacation here to relax and ended up in a home terror attack. Something I did not wish to be a part of.”
A number of streets were closed following the blast and locals were requested to stay indoors while the police searched for any remaining devices which might have been explosives.
“We have an extremely active investigation with a huge crime scene,” Chief Andy Mills told the reporters at the evening news conference. “Our largest concern was clearing our community so that we could provide safety. And we were most concerned about secondary devices, so we spent a lot of time and effort with the bureau, as well as the sheriff’s office, canvassing the whole neighborhood, making sure that there was nothing there that could hurt our citizens any longer.”
He said, “It’ll be a painstaking attempt to make sure that we gather every piece of evidence.”
FBI explosive experts are working now to determine the origin of the blast.
Mills clarified on Sunday during the news conference that the police do not think that there is an active threat against Twentynine Palms or Palm Springs.
Davis, of the FBI, said the explosion was “most likely one of the largest bombing investigations that we’ve ever had in Southern California” and compared it to the 2018 bombing of an Aliso Viejo day spa, which killed a man and critically injured two other people.
Mills said he is disappointed by what he called “an attack on our city,” but added he is hopeful.
“Terrorism knocked on Palm Springs’ door. We survived, and I can guarantee you this city will recover,” he said.
Pam Bondi, the attorney general, released a statement on X in which she stated she was briefed on the situation.
“Federal agents are on the scene now responding in coordination with local law enforcement. We’re working to learn more,” she said, adding, “An attack on a fertility clinic is reprehensible.”
The fertility clinic nearest the explosion, the American Reproductive Centers of Palm Springs, issued a statement that its employees and eggs, embryos and reproductive material were not harmed in the explosion.
“This morning, an unexpected and unfortunate event occurred outside our Palm Springs facility when a car exploded in the parking lot off the building. We are saddened to learn that this event caused a loss of life and injuries, and our deepest sympathies go out to the individuals and families affected,” stated the ARC in a press release.
“ARC will be fully operational on Monday morning, and our employees are here to answer any questions you may have. We appreciate the unimaginable support from our patients and community, as well as the swift action of Palm Springs Police, Fire, and emergency services. This experience has shaken us—but it has not shaken us. We will continue to serve with courage, love, and the hope that makes new life for the world,’ ARC said.”.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom also was alerted to the explosion.
“The state, through [California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services], is working with local and federal agencies to assist the response,” Newsom’s office said.