What we know about Guy Bartkus, suspect in Palm Springs fertility clinic bombing
The person who detonated a powerful car bomb outside of a Palm Springs fertility clinic was 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus, the FBI said Sunday.
Bartkus, who authorities said is believed to have died in the blast Saturday, lived in a Twentynine Palms neighborhood that was evacuated and searched after the bombing.
FBI Assistant Director Akil Davis of the Los Angeles Field Office said Sunday investigators were "fairly confident" that they had identified Bartkus from his remains.
He said investigators believe Bartkus targeted the fertility clinic based on his online posts and an apparent "manifesto" they were reviewing.
"The subject had nihilistic ideations, and this was a targeted attack against the IVF facility," he said. "We are treating this as an intentional act of terrorism."
Davis, however, did not share any details about Bartkus or his background.
Bartkus appears to have identified himself online as a "pro-mortalist," someone who thought the world was overpopulated and opposed the propagation of humanity.
Davis said based on evidence at the scene, Bartkus was attempting to livestream the detonation. But it was not clear whether he succeeded.
A website purporting to be from the bomber cited "pro-mortalist" beliefs and included rambling essays about reasons life is pointless, only leads to death and suffering, and should be ended as soon as possible. Davis would not confirm whether the specific website was linked to Bartkus.
The website contained a link urging people to download "the recorded stream of my suicide & bombing of an IVF clinic," but the file contained only 30 minutes of audio of a man talking about the reasons for his pro-mortalist beliefs.
Davis said authorities are tracking the "possible manifesto out there."
Property records show Bartkus has longtime family ties to San Bernardino County. He appeared to live with his mother in Twentynine Palms and might have spent his some of his childhood in Waterbury, Conn.
Authorities were still working Sunday to find out more about Bartkus. The FBI's Davis asked people with information to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or go to fbi.gov/palmspringsvehicleexplosion.
They said the car used in the explosion was a 2010 silver Ford Fusion with the license plate 8HWS848 and that they want to know more about where he was in the hours before the bomb went off.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Robert Anglen is an investigative reporter for The Arizona Republic. Reach him at robert.anglen@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X @robertanglen.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Suspect in Palm Springs fertility clinic bombing: Who is Guy Bartkus?
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