A War on Life”: Twentynine Palms Bomber Behind California IVF Clinic Explosion Identified as Anti-Natalist Extremist
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA – In a chilling act that authorities are now classifying as domestic terrorism, federal investigators have identified the man responsible for Saturday’s devastating bombing of a Southern California fertility clinic as Guy Edward Bartkus, a 25-year-old from Twentynine Palms, California, who left behind a digital manifesto declaring a “war against pro-lifers.”
The violent blast — which tore through the American Reproductive Centers in Riverside County — obliterated most of the facility, shattered windows across neighboring businesses, and left four people injured. The attacker, Bartkus himself, died at the scene, apparently killed by the explosive he had rigged into a vehicle parked outside the clinic.
The clinic, which was closed at the time of the attack, confirmed that no embryos, eggs, or reproductive materials were harmed, issuing a somber statement reminding the public of its commitment to “helping build families” and underscoring “how fragile and precious life is.”
But investigators say the symbolism of the target is as disturbing as the destruction itself.
“This was a targeted attack against the IVF facility,” said Akil Davis, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office. “Make no mistake: we are treating this, as I said yesterday, as an intentional act of terrorism.”
According to sources close to the investigation, Bartkus maintained a bizarre and deeply nihilistic online presence, blending anti-natalist philosophy, extreme animal rights rhetoric, and a belief in “pro-mortalism” — the ideology that sees death as a solution to human and animal suffering. One entry on a website believed to be authored by him read: “Basically, I’m a pro-mortalist… the disease of life must be sterilized from this planet.”
The Los Angeles Times reported that the same site promised a “war against pro-lifers” and detailed the suspect’s intentions to target fertility clinics as a symbolic attack against human reproduction.
A Terrorist by Any Other Name
Though Bartkus appears to have acted alone, experts say his ideology is part of a growing pattern of “do-it-yourself terrorism” — a decentralized, internet-fueled extremism that allows isolated individuals to radicalize themselves and commit large-scale violence without ever joining a formal group.
“We’re witnessing a mutation of extremist violence,” said Brian Levin, professor emeritus at Cal State San Bernardino and founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. “These are ideologies with a nihilistic, apocalyptic edge — and the internet is the matchstick.”
“It’s a cauldron,” he added. “Radicalization, misinformation, grievance politics, and now the tools to build bombs… This is the new terrorism.”
Echoes of Horror
The site of the bombing, described by officials as possibly the largest single bombing crime scene in Southern California history, remains cordoned off as FBI investigators comb through debris for evidence. Forensic experts are also reviewing the suspect’s online activity to determine whether others may have been influenced or incited by his beliefs.
Meanwhile, the four injured bystanders, all of whom were outside the clinic at the time, are reportedly in stable condition.
Law enforcement officials say no further threats have been identified, but the ideological nature of the attack has rattled both law enforcement and the broader fertility and reproductive healthcare communities.
“This wasn’t just an attack on a building,” said one clinician at the facility. “It was an attack on the very idea that creating life is worth celebrating.”
