Authorities are investigating what appear to be radical views the Palm Springs bombing suspect expressed online in the months before Saturday’s attack at a fertility clinic.
The Times could not yet verify whether Bartkus had any other affiliation with the base that might allow him to access explosives.
“It’s the kind of town where you go the grocery store and you see everyone.” What about the explosives used?
Authorities are still trying to determine what types of explosives were used and how they were acquired.
A law enforcement bulletin reviewed by The Times said the Palm Springs bombing suspect appeared to become more depressed after the recent death of a female friend.
Authorities are looking into what seem to be extreme opinions that the suspect in the Palm Springs bombing posted online in the months leading up to Saturday’s assault at a fertility clinic.
According to the FBI, they were examining a manifesto and other materials to see if they were created by Guy Edward Bartkus, a 25-year-old man “with nihilistic ideations” who they believe was killed in the explosion. The manifesto’s author’s overt threat of attacking a fertility clinic is one factor contributing to its appeal.
Bartkus is suspected of causing extensive damage by setting off a huge bomb outside the American Reproductive Centers.
In what ways is Bartkus known to us?
Twentynine Palms, where Bartkus resided, is the location of the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, regarded as the biggest Marine Corps training facility in the world.
According to Marine spokesperson for manpower and reserve affairs Yvonne Carlock, Bartkus was not a Marine. As of yet, the Times was unable to confirm if Bartkus had any additional connections to the base that would have given him access to explosives.
Neighbors contacted by The Times claimed they did not know him as police cleared his neighborhood this weekend for a thorough search.
Artists Victoria and Austin Shupe, who relocated to Twentynine Palms from Century City a year ago, reported how strange it was that they had never seen the suspect or spoken to anyone else when his name was revealed.
“Twentynine Palms is a really small town,” Austin Shupe, who runs Yucca Man Records, a local recording studio, said. It’s the sort of town where you see everyone when you go to the grocery store. “.”.
How about the explosives that were used?
In comparison to the 2018 bombing of a day spa in Aliso Viejo, the FBI called the Palm Springs explosion, which was strong enough to destroy buildings several blocks away, “probably the largest bombing scene that we’ve had in Southern California.”.
Investigators are still working to identify the kinds of explosives used and how they were obtained.
A person believed to be Bartkus was killed and mangled by the blast that left a car behind the clinic. Authorities don’t know if he meant to commit suicide.
The Times was informed by law enforcement that the bomber used a great deal of explosives, so much so that his remains were torn apart by the bomb.
Referring to a 2010 silver Ford Fusion sedan close to the explosion site, Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, stated, “We believe he was the subject found by the vehicle.”. Investigators, according to Davis, thought the suspect was trying to livestream the assault.
A picture of the aftermath of the explosion was shared by the clinic, showing smoke rising from the interior, debris pouring into the streets, and the roof of the building collapsing.
Co-owner of Christopher Anthony Ltd., a gallery, is Tim Prendergast. was at his place of employment, roughly two blocks from the explosion site. When he first felt the shock wave strike the building, he believed an earthquake was about to begin.
“Of course, I knew it wasn’t an earthquake once I felt and heard the explosion,” he said.
After a few minutes, Prendergast arrived at the scene of the explosion after running down the street and following a black cloud of smoke. He witnessed the medical facility engulfed in flames and a burning car. Numerous individuals were wandering around in a daze. Some were able to stand despite being bloodied.
Then he found pieces of a body in the street.
What do we know about the beliefs and potential motivation of Bartkus?
A nameless website that seemed to be associated with the bombing made the case for “a war against pro-lifers” and threatened to target a fertility clinic.
There was no file on the website that said, “Here you can download the recorded stream of my suicide and bombing of an IVF clinic.”. Many fringe philosophies are cited by the author.
Opposition to all human use of animals is known as abolitionist veganism.
Negative utilitarianism: The belief that our actions should be directed toward reducing suffering rather than maximizing happiness.
Pro-mortalism: The extreme philosophical view that, in order to avoid more suffering, it is best for sentient beings to pass away as soon as possible.
“Tracking a possible manifesto out there, and it’s part of our ongoing investigation,” Davis said, declining to confirm if the suspect wrote the manifesto. “.”.
The manifesto’s ultimate goal was to “sterilize this planet of the disease of life,” and the author criticized those who bring human life into the world. “”.
The website came with a 30-minute audio file called “pre,” in which the speaker stated that he would explain “why I’ve decided to bomb an IVF building or clinic.”. “.”.
The speaker stated, “It basically boils down to the fact that I exist and that, you know, no one got my consent to bring me here.”.
The author made reference to the recent passing of “Sophie,” whom she claimed was a close friend, on the manifesto website, which was concealed in the site’s underlying code. The references are consistent with the death of a Washington state woman on April 20th, who was allegedly shot by her partner at her request, he claims.
Following the recent death of a female friend, the Palm Springs bombing suspect seemed to become more depressed, according to a law enforcement bulletin that The Times examined.
What are the opinions of specialists?
“The manifesto’s author seemed to be part of a growing movement of alienated lone actors radicalized on obscure internet sites and misinformation,” said Brian Levin, professor emeritus at Cal State San Bernardino and founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.
According to Levin, “violence is specifically condemned by the antinatalism movement he links to.”. However, the picture painted by his alleged meandering, eccentric ‘political’ remarks is quite different: that of a suicidal, unstable young man who is driven to a self-destructive, violent death that is justified by a personally twisted acceptance of a little-known anti-life ideology. “”.
For the case, what comes next?
To identify the sources of the explosives, the FBI joint terrorism task force is pursuing leads in collaboration with federal and local authorities. They requested assistance from the public on Sunday in tracking down Bartkus’ whereabouts prior to the explosion.
Although at least one firearm was found at the scene, the extent of the bomb’s damage has complicated the area’s investigation, according to sources.
As part of their investigation, federal investigators will look for any evidence of bomb residue, according to retired LAPD lieutenant Leonard Perez. He stated that investigators will then attempt to ascertain the kind of exposive materials that were used by “working backwards.”.
Investigators will not be able to determine the explosion’s origin based solely on the blast crater’s size until such tests are finished.
“It might be a military-grade explosive or a homemade device,” he stated. Given that he hails from Twentynine Palms, Perez, who worked with explosives in the Navy, asked, “Is he ex-military?”. “And one of the things that investigators will need to figure out is whether he had access to those materials.”.
“Where in the car was [the bomb]? Was it underneath the car, in the back, or in the front?” he asked. The post-blast wave’s trajectory will be determined by the specific area of the vehicle. “”.
Simultaneously, investigators will be conducting a thorough background investigation known as “a workup” on the suspect, which will look for any indication of how and when he obtained the explosives. They will try to find out, according to Perez, “what is their background, where do they have work, and what did they have access to?”. “And what were the resources available to their relatives?”.
The largest Marine Corps training facility in the world, the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, is located in Twentynine Palms. According to Yvonne Carlock, a spokesperson for manpower and reserve affairs for the US Marines, Bartkus was not a Marine.
At this time, the Times was unable to confirm whether Bartkus was associated with the base in any other way.
