The man who authorities say is responsible for detonating a car bomb outside a California fertility clinic, in what the FBI has called an act of terrorism, appears to have been motivated by anti-natalist ideology, two senior law enforcement officials tell NBC News.
Officials say they believe Guy Edward Bartkus, 25, detonated the explosive around 11 a.m. Saturday outside 1199 North Indian Canyon Drive in Palm Springs near several medical facilities, including American Reproductive Center, a fertility clinic.
“We are immensely grateful to share that no members of the ARC team were harmed, and our lab — including all eggs, embryos, and reproductive materials — remains fully secure and undamaged,” the clinic wrote in a statement posted to social media. “We are heavily conducting a complete safety inspection and have confirmed that our operations and sensitive medical areas were not impacted by the blast.”
One person, Bartkus, was killed, and at least four other people were injured in the explosion, which authorities say the suspect was attempting to livestream.
“The subject had nihilistic ideations, and this was a targeted attack against the IVF facility,” Akil Davis, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said on Sunday. He also said the FBI was treating the blast as “an intentional act of terrorism.”
Investigators have reviewed what they believe to be social media posts made by Bartkus before the bombing, including a 30-minute audio recording in which a man spoke about plans to attack an IVF clinic. During that recording, a person can be heard describing himself as a “pro-mortalist,” expressing the belief that humanity should end.
Sources tell NBC News the person in that recording may be linked to a post in an online forum earlier this month in which the individual said they were contemplating suicide using an explosive device. Investigators have also found a YouTube account they believe is connected to Bartkus that features videos of experiments with homemade explosives.
While the recording and social media posts are still being verified, officials tell NBC News that they reflect what authorities believe to be the ideology behind the bombing, anti-natalism, or the philosophical belief that procreation is inherently unethical.
Anti-natalists oppose procreation for a variety of reasons. Some believe humans are unfairly born without consent into a life of suffering, while others cite global overpopulation and concerns about climate change.
The suspect’s father, Richard Bartkus, expressed disbelief that his son could be responsible for Sunday’s explosion. “He had a good heart. It’s hard for me to believe that this was him,” he told NBC affiliate KMIR. He also told the station that his son, who he had not seen in 12 years, had “changed dramatically in the last year and may have become radicalized after visiting a friend in Washington, D.C., who opposed in vitro fertilization.”
On Monday, Reddit confirmed that it banned a community devoted to anti-natalist views after Sunday’s attack. As NBC News reports, the website “was working to remove posts containing audio clips and images of what is believed to be writings published ahead of the explosion, a spokesperson said in a statement. Portions of the content were widely distributed on various social media platforms, including Reddit.”
The anti-natalist movement has gained attention in recent years, as has its opposing ideology, pro-natalism, which encourages procreation.
