FBI identifies suspect in Palm Springs fertility clinic bombing

PALM SPRINGS, California (Reuters) -An FBI official said on Sunday investigators believe they have identified the suspect connected to a bombing near a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, as 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus, and that he held "nihilistic ideations."

"We are fairly confident that Mr. Bartkus is our primary suspect," said Akil Davis, assistant director at the FBI's Los Angeles field office, speaking to reporters at a press conference.

"The subject had nihilistic ideations, and this was a targeted attack against the IVF facility. Make no mistake. We are treating this... as an intentional act of terrorism."

A bomb detonated shortly before 11 a.m. local time (1800 GMT) on Saturday in or near a car parked outside the clinic, which was operated by American Reproductive Center.

One person was killed and at least four were injured in the blast. Officials said on Sunday that no embryos stored inside the clinic were harmed by the blast.

Davis said the FBI believes that Bartkus died in the blast, and that he had been trying to live-stream the attack.

(Reporting by Omar Younis in Palm Springs, California and Sarah N. Lynch in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone and Bill Berkrot)