Officials investigating a fatal weekend explosion at a desert California fertility clinic that killed one and injured several others said the suspect “had nihilistic ideations” and believed it was better to die than to live.
The FBI reported Guy Edward Bartkus, 25, detonated an explosive device in his car the morning of May 18 outside the American Reproductive Centers clinic in Palm Springs. The city is more than 100 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
The incident was initially reported as a car explosion near the facility on North Indian Canyon Drive in the Coachella Valley of Riverside County. The late morning blast rattled homes and startled the desert city just before 11 local time, The Desert Sun, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported. One person was killed and at least four were injured in the blast.
The FBI called the bombing a targeted attack on the IVF facility, an “intentional act of terrorism” and said the suspect “had nihilistic ideations” and anti-natalist views.
What does nihilistic mean? What is does anti-natalist mean? Here’s what to know about the terms.
Live: FBI says Palm Springs bombing suspect had ‘pro-mortalist’ and anti-natalist views
What does nihilistic mean?
Nihilism is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as a “viewpoint that traditional values and beliefs are unfounded and that “existence is senseless and useless.”
The view rejects religious and moral principles in the belief that life is meaningless.
According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, the late German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche is among a group of late modern thinkers including Karl Marx associated with nihilistic believes.
“Crime and Punishment” author Fyodor Dostoevsky, a Russian novelist, has also been linked to nihilism.
FBI on California blast: Palm Springs fertility clinic bombing suspect had ‘nihilistic’ ideas
What is anti-natalism?
Anti-natalism is defined in Webster as a philosophical view deeming procreation to be “unethical or unjustifiable.”
Based on various reasons, including environmental concerns or the belief that life itself is inherently suffering, those with the belief disapprove of human population growth.
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Fertility clinic suspect believed to have died in blast
Akil Davis, assistant director of the Los Angeles FBI field office, described as “one of the largest bombing investigations we’ve had in Southern California.”
Davis said the FBI believes Bartkus died in the blast, and had tried to livestream the attack. A body presumed to be his was discovered near the vehicle – a 2010 silver Ford Fusion.
Through an autopsy, a coroner will identity the body and determine the person’s cause and manner of death.
Explosion at a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California. Buildings within a half mile radius have their windows shattered, including the regional hospital. pic.twitter.com/KZPPQgbhgj
— Luis Roman (@luisromanvlog) May 17, 2025
The blast damaged several nearby buildings, officials said but the fertility clinic reported on social media its staff were safe, and no eggs or embryos were damaged. According to the fertility clinic’s Facebook page, it is open from 7-11 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
Officials said embryos stored inside the clinic were not damaged by the blast.
Investigators raided a home allegedly belonging to Bartkus in Twentynine Palms and, according to Reuters, a website contained messages apparently linked to the suspect, in which “he laid out a loose argument against human life.”
According to the FBI, officials are tracking “a possible manifesto” in the investigation.
“Basically, I’m a pro-mortalist,” part of the message reads, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Contributing: Jonathan Limehouse, Reuters and Jennifer Cortez, Christopher Damien, and Paul Albani-Burg, USA TODAY.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fertility clinic bomb suspect had ‘nihilistic ideations.’ What’s that?
