FBI arrests a man in New York linked to explosion at a California fertility clinic, officials say
NEW YORK AP 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 functionaries reported Wednesday The man Daniel Park a -year-old resident of Kent Washington was arrested Tuesday night at the John F Kennedy Airport in New York one of the personnel mentioned It was not directly clear what Park was charged with or how he was connected to the review The attack on the fertility clinic was carried out by Guy Edward Bartkus who was killed in the explosion according to the FBI Leaders noted at the time they were examining whether Bartkus had any help Federal prosecutors are expected to release details at a news conference in Los Angeles The arrest was first stated by NBC News The law enforcement bureaucrats spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss a criminal episode that has not been publicly disclosed Administration have described Bartkus as a member of the anti-natalist movement a fringe group that opposes childbirth and population development and believes people should not continue to procreate Bureaucrats revealed he intentionally targeted the fertility clinic as an act of terrorism He tried to livestream the explosion but the attempt failed the FBI says The blast gutted the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic in Palms Springs and shattered the windows of nearby buildings along a palm tree-lined street Observers 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 exposed near a charred truck outside the clinic Investigators haven t commented if he intended to kill himself in the attack or why he chose the specific facility The clinic provides services to help people get pregnant including in vitro fertilization and fertility evaluations Officers executed a search warrant in Bartkus hometown of Twentynine Palms a city of residents northeast of Palm Springs with a large U S Marine Corps base Officers haven t shared specifics about the explosives used to make the bomb and where Bartkus may have obtained them A senior FBI official called the explosion possibly the largest bombing scene that we ve had in Southern California Scott Sweetow a retired ATF explosives expert commented the amount of damage caused indicated that the suspect used a high explosive similar to dynamite and TNT rather than a low explosive like gun powder Those types of explosives are normally challenging for civilians to access but increasingly people are finding solutions to concoct explosives at home he announced Once you know the chemistry involved it s pretty easy to get stuff Sweetow noted The ingredients you could get at a grocery store The images of the aftermath also displayed that the explosion appeared to blow from the street straight through the building and to the parking lot on the other side something that could have been intentional or pure luck Sweetow commented A part of the car was also blown through the building and landed in the back by a dumpster Source
