Suspect identified in Palm Springs clinic bombing

A 25-year-old man with reportedly “nihilistic ideations” has been named as the suspected bomber behind Saturday’s explosion outside a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, Calif.

Authorities announced in a news conference Sunday that suspect Guy Edward Bartkus of Twentynine Palms, Calif., is thought to have died in the blast that injured four other people and damaged several downtown businesses near the targeted American Reproductive Centers in vitro fertilization clinic.

“Yesterday, a man intent on harming others in our city failed,” Palm Springs Police Chief Andrew Mills said. “Palm Springs survived, and we are stronger and more resilient as a result.”

Akil Davis, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, called the attack “one of the largest bombing investigations we’ve had in Southern California” and acknowledged that Bartkus wasn’t on the FBI’s radar.

Bartkus allegedly used an improvised explosive device carried in a 2010 silver Ford Fusion sedan.

“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.”

Davis added that authorities are sifting through a “manifesto” purportedly written by Bartkus before the bombing.