FBI identifies US fertility clinic bomb suspect as ‘nihilistic’ 25-year-old

• The FBI identified Guy Edward Bartkus, 25, as the suspect in the Palm Springs fertility clinic bombing.
• The attack was deemed an “intentional act of terrorism” with “nihilistic ideations”.
• All embryos were saved, and there is no continuing threat to the community, authorities said.

The FBI has identified the suspect behind the bombing at a California fertility clinic as a 25-year-old man with “nihilistic ideation” who is believed to have died in the blast.

The explosion on Saturday morning (local time) tore through downtown Palm Springs, ripping a hole in the clinic and blowing out the windows and doors of nearby buildings.

Akil Davis, the head of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said the attack was being considered an “intentional act of terrorism”.

He said the suspect had been identified as Guy Edward Bartkus, 25, of Twentynine Palms, California, a small city, about 80km from Palm Springs.

Davis told a press conference: “The subject had nihilistic ideations and this was a targeted attack against the IVF facility.”

The damaged front of the fertility clinic following a bomb blast in Palm Springs, California. Photo / Getty Images

He said authorities were investigating a “possible manifesto” shared online ahead of the attack, which he said Bartkus “was attempting to live stream”.

All of the embryos at the clinic had been saved, Davis said, thanking the quick work of fire, police and FBI personnel.

“They understood the sensitivity and the precious nature of what was inside, and they took extreme care to ensure that there was no loss of any sensitive material,” he said.

Palm Springs police chief Andrew Mills said he was “absolutely confident that this city is safe”.

“There is no continuing threat to our community as a result of this incident,” he said.

Reproductive care, including abortion and fertility services, remains controversial in the US, where some conservatives believe the procedures should be outlawed for religious reasons.

Violence against clinics providing such services is rare, but not unheard of.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi said on social media that “violence against a fertility clinic is unforgivable”.

-Agence France-Presse