FBI identifies suspect in California fertility clinic bombing

The FBI has identified a 25-year-old California man as the person they say is responsible for the explosion of a Palm Springs fertility clinic.

Authorities say the suspect, Guy Edward Bartkus of Twentynine Palms, is the same person who was found near a charred vehicle by the clinic.

Akil Davis, the head of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said during a Sunday news conference that investigators were reviewing writings left behind by Bartkus that could shed light on his state of mind.

His writings were “anti pro-life” in nature, according to a social media post on Sunday from Bilal Essayli, the US attorney in Los Angeles. Associated Press reported on Saturday night that those writings communicated a belief that the world should not be populated.

“The subject had nihilistic ideations and this was a targeted attack against the IVF facility,” Davis said. “Make no mistake: we are treating this, as I said yesterday, as an intentional act of terrorism.”

The bombing injured four other people in addition to killing Bartkus, though Davis said all embryos at the facility were saved.