(NewsNation) — Investigators have deemed an explosion at a Southern California fertility clinic an act of terrorism and say the suspect left behind “anti-life” writings.
The suspect has been identified as 25-year-old Guy Bartkus, and he was the lone fatality in the Saturday attack.
His alleged motive is linked to an obscure movement that is anti-life and against procreation.
Soon after the bombing at the fertility clinic in Palm Springs, Calif., investigators found an online manifesto believed to be linked to Bartkus.
The clinic in the Palm Springs attack was closed and sustained significant damage, but operators say all embryos and reproductive material remain fully secured and undamaged.
The post revealed extremist views against in vitro fertilization (IVF), and says, “I’m angry that I exist,” and “nobody got my consent to bring me here.”
The author also stated an end goal to “sterilize this planet of the disease of life.”
A body believed to be Bartkus was found next to the vehicle used in the Saturday blast.
In an exclusive interview with NewsNation affiliate KTLA, the suspect’s estranged father described a smart but troubled kid who liked to play with matches.
His parents eventually divorced after Bartkus burned down the family home at the age of nine.
“He started a fire by the shed. I came home from work, he was trying to shove it underneath the shed and set the shed on fire, the shed caught the house on fire and burned it down,” said Richard Bartkus. “I know we hadn’t talked in over ten years.”
One national security expert told NewsNation that Bartkus’ philosophy is one of the strangest domestic terrorist movements he’s ever seen. The suspect apparently described himself as pro-mortalist, a fringe belief that includes a desire to die as soon as possible in order to prevent further suffering.
People who are nihilist or anti-natalist believe procreation is unethical, unjustifiable and that life is meaningless, though the majority do not encourage or condone violence.
Guy Bartkus lived in 29 Palms, about an hour away from that fertility clinic. Investigators are still searching his home and digital footprint for any additional evidence.
