California fertility clinic bombing an 'act of terrorism', FBI says
A fatal bomb near a fertility clinic in California has been labelled as an "intentional act of terrorism" by the FBI.
The bomb was either in or near a car parked outside of the clinic in Palm Springs when it exploded, the city's Mayor Ron deHarte said.
One person was killed and at least four people were injured in the explosion.
During a press conference on Sunday, the FBI said it had a "person of interest" over the incident.
"This was an intentional act of terrorism," Akil Davis, the head of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, told reporters.
"As our investigation will unfold we will determine if it's international terrorism or domestic terrorism."
Authorities have not commented on a possible motive and could not confirm if the person who died was a suspect.
It is unclear if the explosion was being live streamed.
While the clinic was damaged, the staff was safe, the Associated Press reported, citing Maher Abdallah, who runs the facility, American Reproductive Centres, which provides IVF services.
"I really have no clue what happened," Dr Abdallah said.
"Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients."
He said all embryos and reproductive materials were safe.
Authorities were still working to confirm the identity of the person who died at the scene.
The bomb ripped through the clinic's wall and damaged several surrounding buildings.
Local resident, Nima Tabrizi, 37, said he was inside a nearby shop when he felt a massive explosion.
"Crazy explosion. It felt like a bomb went off. … We went up to the scene, and we saw human remains."
The FBI in Los Angeles said the investigation was still in the early stages, with bomb technicians deployed to the scene.
Attorney-General Pam Bondi said "Let me be clear: the Trump administration understands that women and mothers are the heartbeat of America. Violence against a fertility clinic is unforgivable."
American Reproductive Centers, which has offices in at least three California cities, provides services including in vitro fertilization, genetic testing and in-house egg donation.
Reuters/AP
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

ABC News
37 minutes ago
- ABC News
LA immigration violence: ABC camera operator hit with less lethal round filming LA protests, as it happened
An ABC camera operator has been hit with a less lethal round while filming the Los Angeles protests. It comes after ABC correspondent Lauren Day and her crew were tear-gassed by police as they used it to disperse crowds in the protests. On Tuesday Prime Minister Anthony Albanese spoke with the US administration about the "horrific" incident where another journalist, Lauren Tomasi, was also hit with a rubber bullet. Look back at our live blog.


SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
PM announces national roundtable to boost productivity
"That footage was horrific." Anthony Albanese has voiced his support for the Australian journalist shot with a rubber bullet while covering immigration protests in Los Angeles. The PM praised Nine correspondent Lauren Tomasi, saying she was clearly identified as press, and should not have been targeted. "And so, we have already raised these issues with the US administration. We don't find it acceptable that it occurred and we think the role of the media is particularly important." As the incident garners international headlines, LA Police chief Jim McDonnel has also expressed his concern. " I know the situation you're referring to with the member of the media. We saw that we're very concerned about that and we're looking into that." But Anthony Albanese stopped short of committing to raising the incident at the G7, where he is expected to meet with President Donald Trump on the sidelines next week. "Discussions I have with the president, are discussions between myself and the president." There's little doubt those discussions will turn to tariffs, as Australia seeks an exemption from US import levies, and seeks to promote free and fair global trade. Speaking at the National Press Club today Mr Albanese's big announcement was on economic issues, particularly productivity growth. "Making our way forward depends on what all of us can work together to achieve, and that's why I've asked the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, to convene a roundtable to support and shape our government's growth and productivity agenda. At Parliament House in August, we'll bring together a group of leaders from the business community, the union movement and civil society." He says the government wants to build the broadest base possible to support further economic reform. The move has been welcomed by the Australian Industry Group. Chief Executive Innes Willox says Australia's productivity performance has been woeful, even before the pandemic, and the summit is perfectly timed. Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Andrew McKellar also welcomed the news. "There are few more critical issues than productivity for the Australian economy. In the end, that's the only way that we're going to get sustainable increases in living standards going forward. So, from a business point of view, we're keen to participate. We will come with constructive ideas, suggestions how to improve productivity going forward. We want to see an ambitious agenda from the government. " Shadow Minister for Productivity and Deregulation Andrew Bragg blamed Labor for poor productivity and warned of the risk of another "Canberra talkfest". He says the Liberal Party is willing to be constructive but will judge the result on the volume of regulation removed and adoption of policies to promote private investment. Senator Bragg also called for an end to what he called "the war on small business". Andrew McKellar says he wants to see changes for small business too. " It's about doing things like cutting red tape, so making it easier for small business simply to comply, you know, to focus on doing the things that you know are better for business and better for people who are working in jobs. So, you know, it's not about working harder. It's about working smarter. It's about doing things simple, things like cutting red tape." The productivity roundtable has been quickly compared with the Jobs and Skills Summit Labor held in its first term, which received a mixed reception. Liberal MP for Flinders, Zoe McKenzie, offered this lukewarm reception on ABC Afternoon Briefing. "Productivity is absolutely a key issue in terms of the Australian economy at the moment, and may I say, has already been for years. We see a very sluggish Australian economy, multiple quarters of negative growth on a per capita basis, and the government's solution is a round table. Unbelievable. It's like the Job Summit 2.0, the next edition, the unions didn't get everything they wanted last time - they seemed to get most of what they wanted as far as I could tell - and now they go on in for more, but this time we're going to call it a productivity round table, and hope for the best." Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young was more positive - pushing for a greater focus on women's workforce participation. "Well one of the first and best things the Prime minister could do to boost productivity is to help more women participate in the workforce, and that would be by making childcare genuinely free, so that mums and dads can participate in the workforce, and know that their children will be cared for by good quality educators in an affordable manner." No doubt the unions and civil society will have their say at the roundtable too, if not before.

ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
Marines to arrive in LA as ABC camera operator hit by less lethal round during protests
Protests have continued for a fourth straight day in Los Angeles, with an ABC camera operator struck in the chest by a less lethal round in the latest in a string of incidents where members of the media have been hit by crowd-control munitions. The demonstrations against US immigration enforcement continued on Monday, with the Trump administration ordering 700 additional US Marines into LA and intensifying raids on suspected undocumented migrants. This escalation has fuelled more outrage from street protesters and Democratic leaders, who claimed US President Donald Trump was turning a "tense situation" into a "national crisis". An ABC camera operator was filming a group of protesters pushing a large bin towards police in the Little Tokyo area, when officers opened fire with less lethal rounds. He was struck in the chest with what may have been a rubber or foam round, but was wearing a Kevlar vest at the time. He described the pain as "like being punched in the chest". The ABC crew was also caught in the middle of a tear gassing earlier on Monday, as police attempted to disperse crowds around Little Tokyo. North American correspondent Lauren Day said she heard "loud bangs" before the crowd "started running". "I then felt the unmistakable burn of tear gas — first in my eyes, then in my nose, lips and throat," she said. "It really stings your entire face and makes it difficult to breath, until the point you almost want to throw up." The incident came a day after Lauren Tomasi, an Australian journalist for 9News, was shot from behind in the leg by a rubber bullet while filming a piece to camera. She said she was "a bit sore" but "OK" after being shot. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the incident involving Tomasi as "horrific" and said he had spoken with the US administration. "We don't find it acceptable that it occurred and we think that the role of the media is particularly important." On Sunday, British news photographer Nick Stern was covering the protests when a three-inch "plastic bullet" tore into his thigh. "I suddenly got this terrific pain on my leg," he told the BBC's Three Counties Radio. "There was something hard sticking out of the back of my leg and then it was getting wet from blood." The journalist has since undergone emergency surgery and is recovering at Long Beach Memorial Medical Centre. The protests, which have continued into their fourth straight day, have so far resulted in a few dozen arrests and some property damage. Officials said about 700 marines were expected to reach LA on Monday night or Tuesday morning, local time, as part of federal efforts to quell the street demonstrations. Their mission is to protect federal personnel and property until a full contingent of 4,000 National Guard troops can reach LA. The deployment has been condemned by state and local leaders, who did not request help. It comes as US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pledged to increase operations to round up suspected immigration violators. According to Homeland Security, 2,000 immigration offenders have been arrested per day in recent days. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass opposed the crackdown, telling MSNBC, "This is a city of immigrants." Ms Noem countered: "They are not a city of immigrants. They're a city of criminals." Trump officials have branded the protests as lawless and blamed state and local Democrats for permitting upheaval and protecting undocumented immigrants. On Monday, local time, Mr Trump expressed support for the arrest of Gavin Newsom, California's Democratic governor, for resisting the federal crackdown. It came as California sued the Trump administration to block its deployment of the National Guard and the marines, arguing it violated federal law and state sovereignty. Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he was "gravely troubled" by the deployment. "The president is forcibly overriding the authority of the governor and mayor and using the military as a political weapon," he said. Protests also sprang up in at least nine other US cities on Monday, including New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco, according to local news outlets.