Latest news with #DrMaherAbdallah
CBS News
19-05-2025
- CBS News
Days after Palm Springs bombing at fertility clinic scene still active with investigators
Investigators remain on the scene working to gather evidence two days after 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus was identified as the suspect allegedly responsible for an explosion at a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, Calif. Residents near the blast site were allowed to return home Monday, but the clinic remained closed on Monday, and the Palm Springs Police Department confirmed Dr. Maher Abdallah, the clinic's director, has continued to see patients at an undisclosed location. Although the explosion destroyed a couple of nearby buildings, Abdallah said the IVF lab was untouched. On Saturday, the FBI confirmed Bartkus, a resident of Twentynine Palms, as the suspect they believe set off a car bomb at the American Reproductive Centers, an IVF clinic. Monday afternoon, Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, confirmed the remains found at the scene near a 2010 silver Ford Fusion sedan were a positive match to Bartkus. Davis called the attack "an intentional act of terrorism" and the largest bombing in Southern California, adding that Barkus was not on the FBI's radar prior to this weekend. The blast that could be felt more than a mile away sent debris flying hundreds of feet in the air. Debris was still in the roadway as investigators were at the scene on Monday morning. During their investigation, law enforcement sources familiar with the case said Bartkus stated in writing or recordings that he was against bringing people into the world against their will. "The subject had nihilistic ideations, and this was a targeted attack," Davis said. "We believe he was attempting to livestream it and yes, that is also part of our investigation." City officials said four other people who were injured during the explosion, none of whom are believed to be staff members of the clinic, have all been released from medical care. Details of their injuries are unknown. The FBI, along with local agencies and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, is continuing to investigate the incident. They urge residents or nearby businesses to contact them if they believe debris from the explosion has landed on their property. What happened at the Palm Springs bombing? On Saturday morning, Palm Springs city officials posted on Facebook that the bombing at the fertility clinic took place just before 11 a.m. on North Indian Canyon Drive, near East Tachevah Drive. The stretch of the street has several healthcare facilities, including American Reproductive Centers, a clinic. Palm Springs Police Chief Andrew Mills said in a statement on Sunday that the blast field affected several blocks. He added that the explosion originated at 1199 N. Indian Canyon Drive, the address of the fertility clinic. Authorities began opening surrounding streets on Sunday, but Indian Canyon and Palm Canyon drives will remain closed as crews continue their investigation. On Sunday, Davis said a search warrant was executed at a location in Twentynine Palms, but did not offer further details if officials found anything. Were the embryos saved during the Palm Springs bombing? Davis confirmed all of the embryos stored at the fertility clinic were saved. "Due to the speed and professionalism of Palm Springs Fire Department Station 1, the Palm Springs Police Department, as well as the FBI's bomb technicians, we were able to save all of the embryos at this facility," Davis added. "Good guys, 1, bad guys, 0." The American Reproductive Centers posted on its Facebook page that a "vehicle exploded in the parking lot near our building." "Helping families is our calling. Nothing will derail this project. We forgive the perpetrator. Our focus remains on Life and Hope," Abdallah's statement said. Father of Palm Springs bombing suspect hadn't spoken to him in over a decade Richard Bartkus told CBS News Los Angeles he hadn't spoken to his 25-year-old son in over a decade. Bartkus described his son as someone who liked to help people. In 2019, he followed in his mother's footsteps by working with children with special needs as a school bus attendant. He explained that his son moved to live with his mother in Twentynine Palms after they divorced. "He tried to help people," Bartkus said of his son. "After Twentynine Palms, he just changed." He was not initially aware that his son was a suspect in the massive bombing investigation spread across Southern California. Bartkus was also unaware that his son was believed to be dead following the explosion at the fertility clinic. "It didn't say anything about him dying and I read later that he died," Bartkus said while speaking with CBS News Los Angeles. Bartkus described his son as being curious from a young age about the way things worked. He recalled the time in 2008 when his son accidentally burned their family home down while trying a trick with matches, but stated he never noticed any red flags.
Fox News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Palm Springs fertility clinic bomber documented plans in chilling online posts before attack
Authorities have identified the perpetrator behind the weekend bombing at a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, as a 26-year-old suspect motivated by a fringe ideology known as "pro-mortalism." "Pro-mortalism," a radical offshoot of anti-natalism, views human reproduction as inherently immoral and embraces death as a moral corrective. According to federal and local law enforcement, the suspect targeted the American Reproductive Centers facility specifically to destroy human embryos stored on-site. Surveillance footage and online postings suggest he parked in the rear of the building to remain unnoticed, ingested drugs, and then detonated an explosive device – killing himself in the process. The FBI has classified the bombing as an act of domestic terrorism, citing the ideological motivation behind the violence that killed the suspect and injured four others. On its Facebook page, American Reproductive Centers wrote that all embryos "are safe." "I received a call saying there was a massive explosion that destroyed a couple of our buildings. My biggest concern was obviously my staff and the embryos we have in storage," said Dr. Maher Abdallah, the clinic's director. "Fortunately for us, our staff was unharmed and the IVF lab is intact, untouched, unharmed. The embryos are safe." Retired NYPD investigator and Fox News contributor Paul Mauro, through his publication Ops Desk, exclusively uncovered a disturbing trail of digital breadcrumbs left by the suspect, who had posted videos documenting his experiments with homemade explosives. The videos, posted on his YouTube channel but now taken down, captured the alleged suspect testing explosives in the desert as well as what appeared to be a garage. WATCH: The Ops Desk also revealed that he left behind a suicide note on an online forum populated by like-minded extremists. "I have made a 'device' that, once triggered, will activate after one hour and will ensure I never wake up again," he wrote. In another post, he wrote about "finally being gone." He shared that he would mix the bomb materials "in a bucket in my car." Officials have said that it is the first high-profile case linked to the pro-mortalist ideology and are now monitoring it as a potential emerging threat. Authorities have urged families and communities to remain vigilant for signs of ideological extremism, especially among those who may feel disenfranchised. As the investigation into the bombing continues, law enforcement is probing whether anyone else assisted or encouraged the suspect in constructing the device.
Fox News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Palm Beach fertility clinic bomber documented plans in chilling online posts before attack
Authorities have identified the perpetrator behind the weekend bombing at a fertility clinic in Palm Beach, California, as a 26-year-old suspect motivated by a fringe ideology known as "pro-mortalism." "Pro-mortalism," a radical offshoot of anti-natalism, views human reproduction as inherently immoral and embraces death as a moral corrective. According to federal and local law enforcement, the suspect targeted the American Reproductive Centers facility specifically to destroy human embryos stored on-site. Surveillance footage and online postings suggest he parked in the rear of the building to remain unnoticed, ingested drugs, and then detonated an explosive device – killing himself in the process. The FBI has classified the bombing as an act of domestic terrorism, citing the ideological motivation behind the violence that killed the suspect and injured four others. On its Facebook page, American Reproductive Centers wrote that all embryos "are safe." "I received a call saying there was a massive explosion that destroyed a couple of our buildings. My biggest concern was obviously my staff and the embryos we have in storage," said Dr. Maher Abdallah, the clinic's director. "Fortunately for us, our staff was unharmed and the IVF lab is intact, untouched, unharmed. The embryos are safe." Retired NYPD investigator and Fox News contributor Paul Mauro, through his publication Ops Desk, exclusively uncovered a disturbing trail of digital breadcrumbs left by the suspect, who had posted videos documenting his experiments with homemade explosives. The videos, posted on his YouTube channel but now taken down, captured the alleged suspect testing explosives in the desert as well as what appeared to be a garage. The Ops Desk also revealed that he left behind a suicide note on an online forum populated by like-minded extremists. "I have made a 'device' that, once triggered, will activate after one hour and will ensure I never wake up again," he wrote. "The reason for the hour delay after being triggered is that I want to be asleep once it activates. I attempted with it last night in the middle of the desert, but my drug combo failed to force me to sleep as I am not experienced with drugs in general. I took 120mg of codeine (4x #3 codeine tablets) and 15ml of promethazine (would have taken more but that's all I had)." "Any ideas what might be a good combo that would make it impossible for me to stay awake? I don't really have access to anything besides codeine, alcohol, and basic things like Benadryl & Nyquil. Nyquil does tend to make me very tired. I still have a good amount of codeine left, (5x #3 codeine tablets and also some codeine cough syrup)." In another post, he wrote about "finally being gone." He shared that he would mix the bomb materials "in a bucket in my car." "I want the reaction to progress rapidly, but not so rapid that it foams out of the bucket. I do want foaming, just not overflow. The amount is 900 ml of 95% formic acid (0.95 g/ml) and probably around 1200 ml of sulfuric acid," he wrote. "The heated sulfuric acid will be at around 70 C, and if when I pour that in, it foams too much, I will mix in a bit of the room temp stuff to cool it down a bit." "You probably get the idea. Should work good enough. I'll be wearing a half-piece respirator with 3M acid gas cartridges to mitigate breathing in formic acid fumes (sulfuric not an issue, vapor pressure is low). If there's enough of it vaporizing, it may affect my eyes and maybe even skin, but l'll just close my eyes. If it affects my skin, oh well, I'll be passed out very quick anyways, and I'll be on opiates." WATCH: Officials have said that it is the first high-profile case linked to the pro-mortalist ideology and are now monitoring it as a potential emerging threat. Authorities have urged families and communities to remain vigilant for signs of ideological extremism, especially among those who may feel disenfranchised. As the investigation into the bombing continues, law enforcement is probing whether anyone else assisted or encouraged the suspect in constructing the device.
The Independent
18-05-2025
- The Independent
Authorities investigating a Palm Springs, California, fertility clinic explosion as terrorism
Authorities in Palm Springs are preparing to update the public at a news conference Sunday morning about their investigation into an explosion at a fertility clinic that appeared to have killed the bomber and injured four other people. The explosion damaged office space, but the clinic's IVF lab and stored embryos were offsite and were not damaged. Investigators called the explosion on Saturday an 'intentional act of terrorism.' The suspect posted writings online and attempted to record the explosion, though authorities said the video failed to upload online. An official who was not authorized to discuss details of the attack spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. The blast gutted the single-story American Reproductive Centers clinic in upscale Palm Springs, though a doctor told the Associated Press its staff were safe. 'Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients,' Dr. Maher Abdallah, who leads the clinic, told the AP in a phone interview. The person believed responsible for an attack posted rambling online writings before the explosion, according to a law enforcement official. 'Make no mistake: This is an intentional act of terrorism,' Akil Davis, the head of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, told an evening news conference.
Associated Press
18-05-2025
- Associated Press
Authorities investigating a Palm Springs, California, fertility clinic explosion as terrorism
Authorities in Palm Springs are preparing to update the public at a news conference Sunday morning about their investigation into an explosion at a fertility clinic that appeared to have killed the bomber and injured four other people. The explosion damaged office space, but the clinic's IVF lab and stored embryos were offsite and were not damaged. Investigators called the explosion on Saturday an 'intentional act of terrorism.' The suspect posted writings online and attempted to record the explosion, though authorities said the video failed to upload online. An official who was not authorized to discuss details of the attack spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. The blast gutted the single-story American Reproductive Centers clinic in upscale Palm Springs, though a doctor told the Associated Press its staff were safe. 'Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients,' Dr. Maher Abdallah, who leads the clinic, told the AP in a phone interview. The person believed responsible for an attack posted rambling online writings before the explosion, according to a law enforcement official. 'Make no mistake: This is an intentional act of terrorism,' Akil Davis, the head of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, told an evening news conference.
