Fertility clinic bombing suspect dies in federal custody

Daniel Park died in federal custody weeks after being charged in connection with the May 17 bombing at a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California. Federal officials accused Park of supplying chemicals to Guy Edward Bartkus, the 25-year-old suicide bomber who detonated the explosion outside American Reproductive Centers. The blast damaged the clinic and nearby buildings but did not harm any embryos stored inside.

What were Park’s charges?

Park faced federal charges of providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists. Prosecutors alleged that between October 2022 and May 2025, he purchased and shipped hundreds of pounds of ammonium nitrate — a key ingredient for homemade explosives — to Bartkus. 

The Department of Justice says the attack was motivated by the two men’s shared anti-natalism, pro-mortalism and anti-pro-life ideology, which opposes human procreation and supports nonexistence as preferable. 

Park allegedly sent 180 pounds of ammonium nitrate in January 2025 and paid for an additional 90 pounds just days before the bombing.

How did Park and Bartkus coordinate? 

Investigators said Park and Bartkus met through online forums where they bonded over their shared beliefs on procreation. According to court records, Bartkus consulted an AI chat application for guidance on creating a powerful explosive mixture before Park visited him in California. 

During his visit, Park allegedly stayed for several weeks and the two conducted experiments with explosives in Bartkus’s garage. Authorities said they searched the garage and found bomb-making materials.

What led to Park’s arrest?

Park fled to Europe four days after the attack and was detained in Poland. He was extradited to the U.S. and arrested at JFK Airport in New York on June 3. Authorities transferred him to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, where he was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead. The FBI and U.S. Marshals Service are investigating his death. His cause of death has not yet been disclosed.

What did authorities say about the attack?

Federal officials labeled the bombing an act of domestic terrorism. Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles office, described it as an intentional attack fueled by extremist ideology. Attorney General Pamela Bondi called the crime “particularly cruel,” while FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized ongoing efforts to prosecute those involved in terrorism-related activities.