NEW YORK (AP) — The FBI has made an arrest in New York in connection with an explosion of a Palm Springs, California fertility clinic, three law enforcement officials familiar with the matter said Wednesday.
Federal prosecutors are expected to release details about the case at a news conference in Los Angeles.
The arrest, which was first reported by NBC News, took place at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on Tuesday evening, according to the officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss a criminal case that has not been publicly disclosed.
The arrest stems from an apparent car bomb detonation of a fertility clinic last month by a man who authorities said had nihilistic writings. The FBI identified Guy Edward Bartkus as the suspect and said he was believed to have died in the explosion. A body was found near a charred vehicle outside the clinic.
Officials said at the time that they were investigating whether Bartkus had any help.
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. Witnesses described a loud boom followed by a chaotic scene, with people screaming in terror and glass strewn along the sidewalk and street.
A senior FBI official called the explosion possibly the “largest bombing scene that we’ve had in Southern California.”
Bartku attempted to livestream the explosion and left behind writings that communicated “nihilistic ideations” that were still being examined to determine his state of mind, the FBI said. U.S. Attorney Bilal “Bill” Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in the area, called the message “anti-pro-life.”
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