FBI arrests man at JFK Airport linked to fertility clinic bombing

 

• • The FBI has arrested a man at JFK Airport in connection with an explosion of a California fertility clinic, officials said.
  • The arrest stems from an apparent car bomb detonation last month by a man who authorities said had nihilistic writings.
  • A senior FBI official called the explosion possibly the "largest bombing scene that we’ve had in Southern California."

The FBI has made an arrest at John F. Kennedy International Airport in connection with an explosion of a Palm Springs, California fertility clinic, FBI officials said Wednesday.

Mugshot of Daniel Park obtained by FOX News.

What we know:

Daniel Park, 32, was taken into custody on Tuesday night at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport after being deported from Poland, where he'd traveled four days after the bombing, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli told reporters.

Federal authorities allege Park shipped 180 pounds of ammonium nitrate to Guy Edward Bartkus, 25, who bombed the clinic and was killed in the blast. The chemical compound is an explosive precursor that can be used to make homemade bombs, Essayli said.

Park traveled earlier this year to Twentynine Palms, California where he and Bartkus conducted experiments in bomb-making. authorities said.

 

Park and Bartkus met in online forums dedicated to the anti-natalist movement, bonding over a "shared belief that people shouldn’t exist," said Akil Davis, the FBI's assistant director in charge.

The backstory:

The arrest stems from an apparent car bomb detonation of a fertility clinic last month by a man who authorities said had nihilistic writings. The FBI identified Guy Edward Bartkus as the suspect and said he was believed to have died in the explosion. A body was found near a charred vehicle outside the clinic.

Officials said at the time that they were investigating whether Bartkus had any help.

The blast gutted the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic in Palms Springs and shattered the windows of nearby buildings along a palm tree-lined street. Witnesses described a loud boom followed by a chaotic scene, with people screaming in terror and glass strewn along the sidewalk and street.

A senior FBI official called the explosion possibly the "largest bombing scene that we’ve had in Southern California."

Bartku attempted to livestream the explosion and left behind writings that communicated "nihilistic ideations" that were still being examined to determine his state of mind, the FBI said. U.S. Attorney Bilal "Bill" Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in the area, called the message "anti-pro-life."

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