Latest news with #carbomb
Fox News
21-05-2025
- Fox News
Video captures moment of deadly explosion at California fertility clinic
A newly released video shows the moment a car bomb detonated outside the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, on Saturday. The footage, obtained by TMZ, shows the palm tree-lined building hit by a sudden blast followed by a towering plume of smoke. The exterior and interior parts of the fertility clinic were heavily damaged, including windows blown out and sections of the building's front facade destroyed. The blast resulted in the death of Guy Edward Bartkus, the 25-year-old suspect, and injured four others. Authorities are treating the incident as an act of domestic terrorism. Surveillance footage and online postings suggest Bartkus parked at the rear of the building, ingested drugs and then detonated an explosive device. The suspect, a resident of Twentynine Palms, reportedly held "pro-mortalism" beliefs and left behind writings expressing opposition to procreation. "Pro-mortalism," a radical offshoot of anti-natalism, views human reproduction as inherently immoral and embraces death as a moral corrective. Investigators said they believe Bartkus attempted to livestream the attack, and a tripod and camera were found at the scene. Despite significant damage to the clinic, all embryos and reproductive materials were preserved, and the facility has since resumed operations. "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, after the attack. "Fortunately for us, our staff was unharmed and the IVF lab is intact, untouched, unharmed. The embryos are safe." Attorney General Pam Bondi said Saturday evening that she had been briefed on the explosion. "We are working to learn more, but let me be clear: the Trump administration understands that women and mothers are the heartbeat of America," she said in a post on X. "Violence against a fertility clinic is unforgivable." Bomb technicians scoured the blast site over the weekend as part of the ongoing investigation, which was led by the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Officials have said this 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 assisted or encouraged the suspect in constructing the device.
Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Telegraph
A ‘pro-mortalist' burned down an IVF clinic – there are fears the movement is on the rise
As a child, Guy Edward Bartkus enjoyed playing with smoke bombs and model rockets, and once managed to burn down his family home with a box of matches. On Saturday, authorities believe the 25-year-old blew himself up with a car bomb in Palm Springs, California, outside a fertility clinic. Following the blast, which killed Bartkus and injured four other people, investigators unearthed writing online and what appears to be an audio manifesto justifying the attack, in which he describes himself as a 'pro-mortalist'. He appeared to subscribe to an ideology that humans should cease to exist to prevent future suffering, and that having children is fundamentally immoral because they could not consent to being born. Richard Bartkus, 75, the father of the suspect, has said that he believed the voice on the recording belonged to his son and suggested he had been 'brainwashed' from spending time online. Pro-mortalism is a 'twisted belief system that is anti-life', said Brian Levin, founder of the Centre for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. It primarily promotes suicide rather than terrorist attacks among its adherents, Mr Levin said, adding the 'philosophy itself is dangerous because it promotes the devaluation of life'. He said it was one of a number of fringe movements on dark corners of the internet that is infecting young men. Bartkus appeared to have posted a 30-minute recording online shortly before the attack, which begins with the words: 'I figured I would just make a recording explaining why I've decided to bomb an IVF building or clinic.' 'Basically, it just comes down to, I'm angry that I exist, and that's, you know, nobody got my consent to bring me here,' he continued, and compared the act of being born to raping an unconscious woman. He compared life to 'slavery to a DNA molecule' and declared himself sickened by 'so much wasted suffering' in the world. 'When you see innocent creatures getting completely f—d by life, you know, I'm not just talking humans, but even animals, right? How the hell can you sit there and call that an intelligent design?' said the 25-year-old, who was a vegan and seemingly used the username 'IndictEvolution' online. 'Parents were the real killers by creating life' Openly admitting he would cause 'death' and 'destruction' by bombing the fertility clinic, he declared in vitro fertilisation (IVF) was 'the epitome of pro-life ideology' and said: 'F— IVF, f— IVF clinics, and f— the people that work for them.' 'I'm only doing this because I feel like it's what I have to do to get people's f—ing attention and to let the world know, like, yes, I'm f—ing serious about this s—,' he continued. Parents were 'the real killers' by creating life in the first place, he said, arguing: 'All the pro-mortalist is saying is like, hey, let's make it, let's make the death thing happen sooner rather than later in life, right? We're just changing the date at which it happened.' The FBI said the explosion, which took place about 11am on Saturday morning, was the largest bombing ever in southern California. Although the bombing heavily damaged the clinic, authorities managed to rescue the medical records and embryos of patients who were trying to conceive. The online cult is an off-shoot of anti-natalism — the belief that it is always immoral to have children, Prof Levin said. 'There's a glorification of the dark side of the world and this blends into a nihilistic viewpoint,' he said, explaining that the group exists 'on the dark side of the dark web'. Anti-natalists on online forums sought to distance themselves from pro-mortalism in the wake of the attack. 'We empathise with suffering, we don't seek to cause suffering. If you have pro-mortalist thoughts and beliefs, then kindly direct yourself out of this sub,' one account wrote on Reddit. Prof Levin said the attack showed how the internet had allowed a range of extremist ideologies to proliferate. 'We look at multiple examples of young males, 17 to 25 ,who lash out against what they see as a degrading world. Sometimes it's done to stand for racial supremacy or nationalism,' he said. 'In this case though, he [Bartkus] boiled it down to the most central crux of his existence, which is that he had an unhappy and despaired life. 'It's a philosophy that says suicide is actually purposeful and accomplishing something beneficial for the world.' Bartkus is said to have posted videos of homemade explosive devices on multiple social media accounts, a law enforcement source told ABC News. An archived account shows videos dating back six years of what appeared to be tests of homemade explosive devices. YouTube has since deleted the channels because they are 'associated with the suspect'. Richard Bartkus told The New York Times he had not spoken with his son in 10 years, and recalled him as enjoying tinkering with small model rockets and 'stink bombs' and 'smoke bombs'. In September 2009, aged nine, he said he son was placed on juvenile probation after lighting the family home on fire while playing with matches
Al Jazeera
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Car bomb in Pakistan's restive southwest kills four people
A car bomb that has exploded near a market in Pakistan's restive southwest has killed four people and wounded 20, according to a government official. The attack was near a market in Qillah Abdullah, a city in the province of Balochistan, Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Riaz said on Monday. The province bordering Afghanistan is plagued by violence mounted by separatist groups. The blast on Sunday night damaged several shops and the outer wall of a building housing paramilitary forces, the official said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing. A spokesperson for the Balochistan government condemned the attack and said an investigation is under way. Local security official Ghulab Khan told the AFP news agency that an improvised explosive device (IED) had been planted in a parked car, suggesting that the target was the paramilitary site but the attack was bungled. 'It seems the IED exploded before reaching its intended destination,' he said. 'All those killed are civilian passers-by.' Balochistan has long been plagued by violence with an array of separatist groups staging attacks, including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which was designated as a 'terrorist organisation' by the United States in 2019. The local chapter of ISIL (ISIS) has also increased its activities in recent months. The attack in Qillah Abdullah came days after four paramilitary officials were killed in the province. Two weeks ago, seven army soldiers were killed when their vehicle was targeted by an IED. In March, BLA fighters killed 33 people, mostly soldiers, during an assault on a train carrying hundreds of passengers. Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in violence in its regions bordering Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021. Islamabad has accused its western neighbour of allowing its territory to be used to launch attacks, a claim the Taliban has denied. Pakistan has also often accused India of supporting the BLA and the Pakistani Taliban. In a rare move this month, the BLA sought Indian support against Pakistan. The appeal in a May 11 statement came amid heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours. 'If we receive political, diplomatic and defense support from the world – especially from India – the Baloch nation can eliminate this terrorist state and lay the foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and independent Balochistan,' the BLA said. It assured New Delhi that its fighters, if backed, would open another front against Pakistan's military near Afghanistan, where the Pakistani Taliban has strongholds. So far, India has not officially responded to the overture.
Al Bawaba
19-05-2025
- Al Bawaba
Car bomb in Syria kills at least 3 police officers
Published May 19th, 2025 - 04:39 GMT ALBAWABA - At least three policemen died after a car explosion near a police station in eastern Syria on Sunday, Local media reported. State news agency SANA added that another two officers were injured in the blast, which took place next to the police station in the city of Al-Mayadeen in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor. Khalil Abdulmoneim al-Ayoub, director of Al-Mayadeen city detailed that the car explosion happened at exactly 07:13 pm local time on Sunday. "Initial investigations and an inspection of the site revealed that it was caused by a car bomb, resulting in the deaths of three members of the General Security and a number of injuries," al-Ayoub said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said five people had been killed in the blast, including four police officers. The organization also mentioned that "two civilians, including a girl, were injured" in the incident. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Car bomb explodes near a market in restive southwestern Pakistan, killing 4 and wounding 20
QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A car bomb exploded near a market in Pakistan's restive southwest, killing four people and wounding 20 others, a government official said Monday. The attack occurred Sunday night in Qillah Abdullah, a city in Balochistan province bordering Afghanistan, said Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Riaz. The blast also damaged the outer wall of a nearby building housing paramilitary forces, he said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing. However, suspicion is likely to fall on ethnic Baloch separatists, who frequently target security forces and civilians in Balochistan and other parts of the country. Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the Balochistan government, condemned the bombing and said an investigation is underway. Balochistan has been the scene of a long-running insurgency in Pakistan, with an array of separatist groups staging attacks, including the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army, which was designated as a terrorist organization by the United States in 2019.
