CALIFORNIA – The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced, June 4, the arrest of a Washington state man accused of aiding the Palm Springs fertility clinic bomber by supplying and funding ammonium nitrate, an explosive precursor, before last month’s attack.
Daniel Jongyon Park, 32, of Kent, Washington, was arrested last night after his flight from Poland arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
Park is charged with providing material support to terrorists.
He is expected to make his initial appearance today in United States District Court in Brooklyn, New York.
FBI Los Angeles Field Office assistant director Akil Davis said Park’s contribution to the destructive device detonated on May 17 led to today’s charges.
“We must strive to prevent another attack like this and the way we do that is to learn everything we can about what exactly caused the explosion, who knew about it or planned it, and why,” said Davis.
Guy Bartkus drove a car bomb into a Palm Springs fertility clinic May 17
According to the complaint, Guy Edwards Bartkus, 25, of Twentynine Palms, drove a bomb-laden car to a Palm Springs fertility clinic on May 17, detonating it and killing himself, injuring others and causing widespread damage.
His attack stemmed from pro-mortalism, anti-natalism, and anti-pro-life beliefs which is the belief that individuals should not be born without their consent and that non-existence is best.
Park – who shares Bartkus’s extremist views – shipped large quantities of explosive precursor materials to Bartkus, including approximately 180 pounds of ammonium nitrate.
Days before the Palm Springs bombing, Park paid for an additional 90 pounds of ammonium nitrate that was shipped to Bartkus.
Park used an AI chatbot to learn how to make explosives
Park sent the first shipments of ammonium nitrate to Bartkus shortly before traveling to Bartkus’s residence, where he stayed from January 25 to February 8.
Three days before Park arrived at Bartkus’s house, records from an AI chat application show that Bartkus researched how to make powerful explosions using ammonium nitrate and fuel.
During Park’s stay with Bartkus, they spent time “running experiments,” in a bedroom and a detached garage, according to the affidavit.
This was the same garage where law enforcement located significant amounts of chemicals commonly used in the construction of homemade bombs.
Four days after Bartkus’s suicide bombing, Park flew to Europe. On May 30, he was detained in Poland and later was ordered deported to the United States.
If found guilty, Park could face up to 15 years in federal prison.
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