The man who authorities believe detonated a powerful explosive device outside a Palm Springs fertility clinic had “access to a large quantity of commercially available chemical products which could be combined to create a home-made explosive device,” the FBI revealed Thursday.
The agency said it was still investigating the case and did not provide further details.
“Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, the FBI is unable to disclose specific case details regarding the makeup of the explosive device,” the FBI said.
On Saturday morning, a bomb was detonated at American Reproductive Centers in Palm Springs, destroying much of the building, injuring four people and killing the suspected bomber. Guy Edward Bartkus is the sole suspect in the bombing, which the FBI has labeled as domestic terrorism.
DNA tests of body parts found at the scene show Bartkus, 25, was killed in the blast.
The FBI described the Palm Springs blast — powerful enough to damage buildings several blocks away — as “probably the largest bombing scene that we’ve had in Southern California,” eclipsing the 2018 bombing of a day spa in Aliso Viejo.
Law enforcement sources told The Times that the bomber used a very large amount of explosives — so much that the bomb shredded his remains.
The sources said authorities recovered explosive materials from Bartkus’ home and that he was skilled in assembling explosive devices and was a longtime rocket builder.
The clinic posted a photo of the blast’s aftermath that showed the building’s roof caved in, debris flowing into the streets and smoke billowing from inside.
Officials have not yet determined a motive in the bombing.
But a website that contained no name but appeared connected to the bombing laid out the case for “a war against pro-lifers” and said a fertilization clinic would be targeted. Authorities have yet to confirm if Bartkus was the author of that site.
“Here you can download the recorded stream of my suicide & bombing of an IVF clinic,” the site began, but no such file existed.
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