FBI arrests WA man in New York linked to explosion at a California fertility clinic
Jun 4, 2025, 9:00 AM | Updated: 5:30 pm
Headshot of Daniel Park, a 32-year-old resident of Kent, over a photo of the damage to a building after an explosion in Palm Springs, Calif., on Saturday, May 17, 2025. (Headshot courtesy of the FBI; Photo of the damage: Eric Thayer, The Associated Press)
(Headshot courtesy of the FBI; Photo of the damage: Eric Thayer, The Associated Press)
The FBI has arrested a man on charges linked to last month’s car bombing of a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, three law enforcement officials told The Associated Press Wednesday.
The man, Daniel Park, a 32-year-old resident of Kent, Washington, was arrested Tuesday night at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, one of the officials said. It was not immediately clear what Park was charged with or how he was connected to the investigation.
The attack on the fertility clinic was carried out by Guy Edward Bartkus, who was killed in the explosion, according to the FBI. Officials said at the time they were investigating whether Bartkus had any help.
The blast gutted the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic in Palm Springs and shattered the windows of nearby buildings along a palm tree-lined street. Witnesses described a loud boom followed by a chaotic scene, with people screaming in terror and glass strewn along the sidewalk and street. A body was found near a charred vehicle outside the clinic.
Palm Springs fertility clinic bombing tied to WA homicide
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Guy Edward Bartkus, 25, carried out the bombing in Southern California just before 11 a.m. Saturday. The explosion came from a large vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. Bartkus was known as someone who built computers and played video games in his spare time.
According to the FBI, it was one of the largest bombings ever investigated in Southern California. The explosion injured at least four people, and investigators have called the attack an intentional act of terrorism.
Bartkus was motivated by ideologies known as “anti-natalism” and “pro-mortalism,” a fringe group that opposes childbirth and population growth and believes people should not continue to procreate. Investigators claimed they found evidence of “anti-natalism” after searching through his “online writings.” Other published pieces online that have been linked to Bartkus suggested he chose the clinic because he believed bringing life into the world causes suffering. Officials said he intentionally targeted the fertility clinic as an act of terrorism.
“The subject had nihilistic ideations and this was a targeted attack,” Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, told CBS News. “We believe he was attempting to livestream it and, yes, that is also part of our investigation.”
Investigators also found evidence that he attempted to live-stream the bombing online.
Investigators uncovered his remains within the blast site. Authorities are not looking for additional suspects, as of this reporting, believing Bartkus acted alone.
The clinic is resuming operations in Palm Desert at a temporary location.
Connection to Pierce County murder investigation
Bartkus left behind some “anti-pro-life” writings before carrying out his attack, investigators found. They also claimed he appeared to be “anti-life”—an “antinatalist” who believed that procreation is unethical or unjustifiable—and interacted with like-minded people in social forums.
Additionally, in Bartkus’ alleged manifesto, according to The LA Times, he wrote that he was affected by the death of his best friend, a woman named Sophie, who was killed in Pierce County in April.
“I’ve never related to someone so much, and can’t imagine I ever would again,” Bartkus allegedly wrote in his manifesto.
Sophie Tinney, 27, referenced in court documents as “S.T.,” was shot multiple times and killed in a homicide, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Her boyfriend, Lars Eugene Nelson, 29, was arrested in connection with her death and booked for murder in the second degree, according to KIRO 7. Nelson initially reported her death as a suicide on April 20, but after authorities conducted an autopsy, they found multiple gunshot wounds to her head.
Her death drove Bartkus “over the edge,” according to The Desert Sun, which reported that Bartkus and Tinney were best friends. Tinney had similar views to Bartkus, describing childbirth as unethical and questioning the value of human existence. She discussed this on social media, primarily on TikTok and Reddit.
Investigators found a website that contained no name, but appeared connected to the bombing. It laid out the case for “a war against pro-lifers” and said a fertility clinic would be targeted.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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