Police said on Sunday that they have identified a suspect in the explosion a day earlier atAmerican Reproductive Centers in Palm Springs, CA. Photo courtesy American Reproductive Centers/Facebook
May 18 (UPI) — A 25-year-old man on Sunday has been tentatively identified as the suspect in an explosion outside a Southern California fertility clinic that injured four and and killed one.
The FBI believes Edward Bartkus, a resident of Twentynine Palms, home to a large U.S. Marine Corps base, about 58 miles northwest of Palm Springs, used a vehicle-borne improvised bomb. The explosion occurred at 11 a.m. PDT Saturday and damaged several buildings.
“We are working through some other technical means to positively identify the decedent here, but we believe at this moment, based on the evidence that we’ve gathered, that that is Mr. Bartkus as the decedent here,” Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said at a Sunday morning news conference.
None of those injured are believed to be staff members of the clinic, city officials said.
American Reproductive Centers wrote on Facebook that a “vehicle exploded in the parking lot near our building.”
“Our mission has always been to help build families, and in times like these, we are reminded of just how fragile and precious life is,” the center posted. “In the face of this tragedy, we remain committed to creating hope — because we believe that healing begins with community, compassion, and care,” they wrote in the post.
“Out of every tragedy, there is an opportunity to come together with deeper purpose. While today’s events have shaken us all, they also shine a light on the strength of our community, the bravery of our first responders, and the resilience of the families we serve.
“At ARC, we believe in creating life – not just in the biological sense, but in the emotional and spiritual sense, too,” the post said.
The clinic expects to reopen Monday.
The Center for Reproductive Services and the American Coalition for Telemedicine told CBS News that they had not heard of any threats to their facilities or the organizations they work with across the country.
“We were able to save all of the embryos at this facility,” Davis said. “Good guys, 1, bad guys, 0.”
The blast could be felt more than a mile away from the blast zone and pieces of vehicles were thrown hundreds of feet in the air and then several blocks away.
“You can use your imagination for how big that bomb device was,” Davis said.
People at The Skylark Hotel, about 500 yards from the clinic, said they felt the explosion.
Palm Springs city officials said in a Facebook post that the blast occurred near several healthcare facilities.
“We believe he was the subject found by the vehicle,” Davis said.
The vehicle was a 2010 silver Ford Fusion sedan.
Davis said this is the largest bombing ever investigated in Southern California.
“It does require some planning and some skill to build a bomb of this kind, although we have seen similar devices with even more significant damage before including the horror of the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 and the blast that rocked the World Trade Center during the first attack in February 1993,” Law Enforcement analyst Richard Esposito told CBS News.
Barkus has not been in the FBI’s radar, according to Davis.
In writing or recordings, the suspect was against bringing people into the world against their will, according to CBS law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation.
“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.”
On Saturday, Davis said: “Make no mistake, this is an intentional act of terrorism.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also sent agents to help with the investigation.
“Yesterday, a man intent on harming others in our city failed. Palm Springs survived and we are stronger and more resilient as a result,” Palm Springs Police Chief Andrew Mills said during Sunday’s news conference. “Our determination to continue life as we know it here in Palm Springs continues unabated and you’ll see this city dynamically grow as a result of this.
Late Saturday, the FBI and the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office evacuated residents in the Twentynine Palms neighborhood where the suspect lived and more than 50 miles from the blast.
“I can confirm that we were executing a search warrant at that location in Twentynine Palms as a result of this explosion here,” Davis said. “Some residents were evacuated in the neighboring area as a practice of protocol and safety. We do not believe that there is an ongoing threat to the public in the Twentynine Palms area as a result of this investigation.”