FBI Confirms Palm Springs Car Bomb Was Military-Grade and Homemade; Questions Swirl Over Explosives Access

The FBI is confirming to NBC Palm Springs that Saturday’s devastating car bombing outside a Palm Springs fertility clinic was carried out using a “military-grade” explosive—constructed at home by the suspect, 25-year-old Guy Bartkus of 29 Palms.

The confirmation comes as new questions emerge about how Bartkus, who had no known military experience, could have built such a powerful and destructive device.

Bartkus was killed in the blast, which left the clinic in ruins and damaged buildings several blocks away. FBI Assistant Director Akil Davis, in an exclusive interview with NBC Palm Springs, said the vehicle-borne bomb was large, homemade, and capable of creating a crater—a level of power rarely seen in domestic attacks.

Davis emphasized that the device was constructed using “several pounds” of high-grade explosive materials. But where those materials came from remains under active investigation.

Notably, the suspect resided in 29 Palms, also home to the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center—the largest Marine base in the United States. In early 2021, several pounds of plastic explosives reportedly went missing from that very base. At the time, NBC Palm Springs pursued confirmation of the incident, but inquiries were largely met with silence from military officials. Reports later suggested some of the missing materials may have been recovered, though no arrests were ever made.

There is no official confirmation yet linking the 2021 incident to the current bombing. However, the parallels raise serious concerns.

FBI officials stress that understanding how Bartkus acquired the components—and whether he acted entirely alone—remains a top priority in the ongoing investigation.

“We’re still working through interviews, digital forensics, and public tips,” Davis said, adding that the suspect had built the device with knowledge and intent for mass destruction.

As the FBI continues to process debris and online evidence, investigators are also examining a disturbing manifesto tied to Bartkus that promotes an antinatalist ideology—a belief system opposing human reproduction and targeting fertility clinics.

Credit: NBC Palm Springs / CNN Newsource

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