Car Bomb Outside Palm Springs Fertility Clinic Kills Bomber and Injures 4; FBI Calls It an Intentional Act of Terrorism
A car bomb exploded outside a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, Riverside County, California, on the morning of May 17, 2025, killing the attacker and injuring four people nearby. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) determined that the explosion was a premeditated, intentional act of terrorism.
According to the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, at 10:49 a.m. on May 17 a vehicle exploded in front of American Reproductive Centers (ARC) on North Indian Canyon Drive, damaging several buildings in the vicinity. ARC provides fertility services and does not perform abortions. FBI agents, the Evidence Response Team and Special Agent Bomb Technicians responded to process the scene.
The blast caused one fatality near or in the vehicle, and four others nearby were wounded with non-life-threatening injuries. DNA testing of the decedent's remains found at the scene returned a positive match to Guy Edward Bartkus, 25, of Twentynine Palms in San Bernardino County, the individual suspected of causing the explosion. Thanks to the speed of the Palm Springs Fire Department, the Palm Springs Police Department and FBI bomb technicians, power in the ARC building was restored quickly and no embryos were lost.
Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, said at a news conference on the day of the attack: "Make no mistake: this is an intentional act of terrorism." The FBI later reported that evidence indicated the explosion targeting ARC was premeditated; that Bartkus had anti-natalist beliefs, the view that it is morally wrong or unjustifiable to have children; that he had ideations of attacking clinics in the past; and that multiple online posts and audio recordings he made were under investigation. Bartkus had access to a large quantity of commercially available chemical products that could be combined into a homemade explosive device; the makeup of the explosive was not disclosed.
A weapon and ammunition were found near the wreckage, along with a tripod and a cell phone equipped with a camera, suggesting Bartkus attempted to livestream the attack; investigators found no evidence to confirm the livestream succeeded. The vehicle was a silver 2010 Ford Fusion sedan, license plate 8HWS848. Bartkus left his residence in Twentynine Palms at approximately 6:00 a.m. and was in the Palm Springs vicinity for several hours before the bombing.
The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is leading the investigation, working with the Palm Springs Police Department and Fire Department, the Riverside and San Bernardino County Sheriff's Departments, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. The FBI asked anyone with information to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit tips at tips.fbi.gov.
(Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation)
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于华盛顿哥伦比亚特区的联邦调查局总部 J. Edgar Hoover Building。Ajay Suresh 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The J. Edgar Hoover Building, FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. Photo by Ajay Suresh, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
