The Father of Palm Springs Bomber Suspect Said He Once Burned Their House Down
"Good guys, 1, bad guys, 0."
Published May 19 2025, 12:58 p.m. ET
A little after 3 p.m. PST on Saturday, May 17, 2025, the Palm Springs City Government Facebook page shared that an "explosion occurred on North Indian Canyon Drive near East Tachevah Drive."
The incident occurred just before 11 a.m., but the post didn't reveal any more information beyond the basics. It was later reported that a bomb went off near the American Reproductive Centers, a local IVF clinic.
The incendiary device was detonated in a 2010 silver Ford Fusion sedan, per CBS News. Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, said in a press briefing that this was an "act of terrorism."
He went on to say that they believed the person responsible was 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus, who is believed to be dead. Bartkus had nihilistic ideations, which he touched on in his manifesto. Here's what we know.
Guy Edward Bartkus reportedly had nihilistic ideations and expressed them in his manifesto.
According to Davis, Barkus "had nihilistic ideations and this was a targeted attack." Although the actual definition of nihilism is often debated, in general, it describes the belief that life is meaningless and has no purpose.
Someone who engages in nihilistic ideations genuinely feels as if there is no point to anything in this world, which can be a very dangerous way to think.
The Washington Post reported that the FBI was investigating an alleged manifesto written by Bartkus. There is also a 30-minute audio recording allegedly left by the 25-year-old in which he claimed to be anti-life, adding that "IVF is like the epitome of pro-life ideology."
Investigators are also looking into his motive, which appears to be steeped in anti-natalist views and the idea that all life involves suffering; therefore, it's "morally indefensible" to bring new life into the world.
The staff at the fertility clinic were unharmed and all embryos were saved.
Mere hours after the blast, Dr. Maher Abdallah, the American Reproductive Centers' director, posted about the incident on the clinic's Facebook page. After expressing remorse over the fact that the suspect reportedly died and several individuals were injured, Dr. Abdallah said no one at ARC was harmed.
Their lab, including the ggs, embryos, and reproductive materials, remained "fully secure and undamaged." Davis added, "Good guys, 1, bad guys, 0."
This is an ongoing investigation into what officials are describing as the "largest bombing scene" in Southern California, per The Post. "There’s evidence strewn all about," said Davis. Investigators executed a search warrant for an undisclosed location in Twentynine Palms, a city located about 50 miles away from where the bomb went off, where Bartkus lived.
After finding out that his son is a person of interest, Richard Bartkus spoke with CBS News Los Angeles, sharing what he knew about his estranged son. The elder Bartkus said he hadn't spoken to his son in more than a decade, but what he was hearing about him did not align with the kid he remembered.
"He tried to help people," said Richard, though he said that as a child, Bartkus accidentally burned their family house down. Growing up, Barkus liked making stink bombs, but nothing like this.