Federal authorities have arrested a man at JFK airport in New York who allegedly provided bomb parts to the suspect responsible for last month’s attack on a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The individual, who sources said was detained around 5pm last night at the airport, will appear in a Brooklyn federal courtroom on Wednesday afternoon on charges related to the Palm Springs attack. The sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the pending case.
The U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles and the city’s FBI’s top official are expected to announce the developments in the case at a 9 a.m. press conference Wednesday.
Guy Edward Bartkus, the primary suspect, is believed to have detonated a bomb at American Reproductive Centers in Palm Springs on May 17, killing himself and injuring at least four people.
The FBI described the Palm Springs blast — powerful enough to damage buildings several blocks away — as “probably the largest bombing scene that we’ve had in Southern California,” eclipsing the 2018 bombing of a day spa in Aliso Viejo.
Law enforcement sources told The Times that the bomber used a very large amount of explosives — so much that the bomb shredded his remains.
The sources said that authorities recovered explosive materials from Bartkus’ home and that he was skilled in assembling explosive devices. He also was a longtime rocket builder.
