LOS ANGELES (California, US), May 18 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A bomb exploded on Saturday outside a California fertility clinic, killing one person in what the FBI labelled a terror attack.
The blast ripped through downtown Palm Springs, badly damaging the clinic and blowing out the windows and doors of other nearby buildings.
“Make no mistake, this is an intentional act of terrorism,” Akil Davis, the head of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office told reporters near the site of the fatal explosion.
“This is probably one of the largest bombing investigations that we’ve had in southern California,” he added.
He confirmed that one person near the clinic at the time of blast had been killed and that four others were wounded. Work was ongoing to identify the deceased, he added.
In response to a reporter’s question on whether the clinic in Palm Springs was deliberately targeted, Davis answered: “We believe so, yes.”
The city’s mayor, Ron deHarte had earlier said that investigators confirmed a bomb exploded in or near a vehicle outside the clinic.
Debris was blown straight through the building and scattered across the road, while the roofs of a number of nearby buildings had been damaged, indicating the intense force of the blast.
A statement posted on social media by the clinic said no staff had been hurt, and that its lab, “including all eggs, embryos, and reproductive materials, remains fully secure and undamaged.”
Reproductive care, including abortion and fertility services, remain controversial in the United States, where some conservatives believe the procedures should be outlawed for religious reasons.
Violence against clinics providing such services is rare, but not unheard of.
President Donald Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi said federal agents were working to determine exactly what had happened.
“But let me be clear: the Trump administration understands that women and mothers are the heartbeat of America. Violence against a fertility clinic is unforgivable,” she said in a statement on social media.
California Governor Gavin Newsom had been briefed on the explosion, his office said. — NNN-AGENCIES
