A person connected to a key suspect has been taken into custody following a car bombing outside a fertility clinic in Palm Springs. The arrested individual, Daniel Park, 32, was detained at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City and faces allegations of attempting to offer support to terrorists. The charges are being handled by the Central District of California.
According to U.S. attorney Bill Essay, Park is accused of supplying materials to Guy Edward Bartos, the main suspect, with the last shipment arriving just before the explosion.
In a press briefing, Essay mentioned that Park spent nearly two weeks at Bartos’s residence in late January and early February, where they allegedly conducted experiments together. Following the bombing, the FBI discovered a significant amount of chemical precursors and experimental tools in Bartos’s garage.
Authorities managed to identify Park through cell phones collected from the scene. Reports indicate that Park used an AI chatbot to gather information about how to assemble the explosive device shortly before the incident.
After the bombing, Park traveled to Poland but was arrested there on May 30 and brought back to the U.S. It’s unclear whether he intended to flee abroad or not.
A search conducted at Park’s residence in Kent, Washington, led to the discovery of six packages containing explosive materials, which were mailed to Southern California prior to the bombing.
The U.S. Department of Justice, with the help of Attorney General Pam Bondy, facilitated his return to the U.S. Bondy expressed that the act of attacking facilities meant to support women is a reprehensible crime.
Last month, Bartos, 25, was implicated in the bombing, resulting in four injuries and one fatality. Surveillance footage placed Bartos behind the clinic before he reportedly ingested drugs and detonated the explosive.
Investigators believe Park and Bartos targeted the clinic due to their ties to a fringe ideological movement opposing the creation of life through assisted reproductive technologies. The FBI has classified the incident as a domestic terrorist act, citing ideological motivations as factors in the violence.
Dr. Maher Abdallah, director of the clinic, expressed initial concern for the safety of the embryos stored at the facility after reports of the massive explosion. Thankfully, staff and the IVF lab remained unharmed, and the embryos were safe.
The FBI did not provide additional comments regarding the ongoing investigation.
