Who was Guy Edward Bartkus, suspect in Palm Springs fertility clinic explosion?
Guy Edward Bartkus left a 30-minute audio recording explaining why he carried out the explosion. He also attempted to film the attack.
A man named Guy Edward Bartkus has been identified as the suspect in the bombing at a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, BNO News reported. The blast killed one person and left four people injured on Saturday, May 17. Local officials called the incident an “intentional act of terrorism,” the New York Post reported.
Bartkus is believed to be the only person who was killed in the explosion at American Reproductive Centers. However, authorities have not yet formally identified his remains. Bartkus has also not been formally identified as a suspect, but has been named in an X post by Karol Markowicz, a Fox News and New York Post columnist.
Who was Guy Edward Bartkus?
Bartkus, 25, is from Twentynine Palms, a small city about 35 miles northeast of Palm Springs. He reportedly left an online manifesto in which he described himself as a pro-mortalist, stating people didn’t give consent to exist.
Bartkus left a 30-minute audio recording explaining his motive for the alleged attack. “I figured I would just make a recording explaining why I’ve decided to bomb an IVF building, or clinic,” he said. “Basically, it just comes down to I’m angry that I exist and that, you know, nobody got my consent to bring me here.”
Describing himself as anti-life, he added, “I’m very against [IVF], it’s extremely wrong. These are people who are having kids after they’ve sat there and thought about it. How much more stupid can it get?”
According to BNO News, Bartkus set up a tripod with a camera in an attempt to film the attack. However, the file failed to upload to his website.
Bartkus explained in a FAQ section of his website that his best friend Sophie, who had similar views, recently died after convincing her boyfriend to shoot her as she slept. “IIRC we had agreed that if one of us died, the other would probably soon follow,” Bartkus wrote.
Bartkus’ description appeared to match the April 22 death of 27-year-old Sophie Tinney in Fox Island, Washington. Her boyfriend, 29-year-old Lars Eugene Nelson, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. Tinney was believed to have convinced Nelson to shoot her in the head as she slept.
At the time of the blast, the clinic was closed. All of the stored embryos are reportedly safe. US Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California wrote on social media that the FBI “will be investigating whether this was an intentional act."
