By ERIC TUCKER and JAKE OFFENHARTZ
NEW YORK (AP) — The FBI has made an arrest in New York in connection with last month’s explosion of a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, three law enforcement officials said Wednesday. Federal prosecutors are expected to release details at a news conference in Los Angeles.
The arrest, first reported by NBC News, took place Tuesday evening at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, according to the officials. One official identified the suspect as Daniel Park, 32, of Kent, Washington.
Investigators believe the bomber died in the blast. It was not immediately clear what Park was charged with or how he was connected to the investigation.
The law enforcement officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss a criminal case that has not been publicly disclosed.
The FBI has identified Guy Edward Bartkus as the suspect in the apparent car bomb detonation, and investigators say he had nihilistic and “anti-pro-life” writings. A body was found near a charred vehicle outside the clinic.
Officials said at the time they were investigating whether Bartkus had any help. He attempted to livestream the explosion and left behind writings that were still being examined to determine his state of mind, the FBI said.
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.”