The FBI says the explosion that damaged a fertility clinic in Palm Springs was an “intentional act of terrorism.”
Akil Davis, the head of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, said Saturday evening that the clinic, American Reproductive Centers, was deliberately targeted.
He declined to elaborate on how authorities have reached a conclusion on a motive.
Authorities were still working to confirm the identity of the person who died at the scene. Davis would not directly say whether that person was the suspect but said authorities were not searching for a culprit.
Davis said four people were hurt in the 11 a.m. blast, but provided no additional details on the severity of the injuries.
Authorities were also investigating the possibility that the explosion was being livestreamed, Davis said.
Explosion at a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California. Buildings within a half mile radius have their windows shattered, including the regional hospital. pic.twitter.com/KZPPQgbhgj
— Luis Roman (@luisromanvlog) May 17, 2025
The act was being investigated as a possible car explosion, according to two law enforcement officials briefed on the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss preliminary information from an ongoing investigation.
One of the officials told The Associated Press that investigators believe the person who died was likely the one who set off the explosion, but they cautioned that the investigation was still in its early stages.
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement saying, “at this time, there are no known threats” to the region, but added that “out of an abundance of caution, Sheriff’s deputies will be conducting extra patrols at fertility centers located in Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction.”
An affiliate of ARC, according to the centers’ website, is located in El Cajon.
The explosion, in the 1100 block of North Indian Canyon Drive, rocked Palm Springs, leaving the clinic extensively damaged. An image posted online by a witness showed what appeared to be a body nearby.
Palm Springs police Chief Andy Mills said “the blast field extends for blocks with several buildings damaged – some severely.” He added, “The incident appears to be isolated.”
Images from the scene showed the remains of a vehicle in the parking lot in the rear of the clinic. The blast appeared to originate in that lot, with the force of the explosion ripping completely through to the front of the building, with the front facade thrown into the street.
Dr. Maher Abdallah, who runs the clinic, told the AP in a phone interview that all of his staff were safe.
City officials said Saturday in a social media post that residents had been asked to avoid the area around North Indian Canyon Drive near East Tachevah Drive. The blast also shattered windows at multiple businesses.
Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also headed to the scene near the clinic to help assess what happened, according to spokesperson Nicole Lozano.
The clinic is located near Desert Regional Medical Center, which did not sustain any serious damage.
“Our emergency department remains open and our hospital is fully operational. We are temporarily asking visitors to refrain from coming to the hospital as police have limited access to the road in front of our campus,” according to a hospital statement. “Some windows were broken in a medical office building directly facing the explosion. Hospital operations have not been affected.
The explosion damaged the fertility clinic’s office space, where it conducts consultations with patients, but left the IVF lab and all of the stored embryos unharmed.
“I really have no clue what happened,” Abdallah said. “Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.”
Before authorities confirmed the fatality, officials at American Reproductive Centers clinic appeared to have received word of the death, saying in a Facebook post, “We are heartbroken to learn that this event claimed a life and caused injuries, and our deepest condolences go out to the individuals and families affected.”
Nima Tabrizi, 37, of Santa Monica, said he was inside a cannabis dispensary nearby when he felt a massive explosion.
“The building just shook, and we go outside and there’s massive cloud smoke,” Tabrizi said. “Crazy explosion. It felt like a bomb went off. … We went up to the scene, and we saw human remains.”
Note: Inset photo – Fire trucks at the scene of the Palm Springs explosion, with debris lining the street around them. (Photo courtesy of OnScene.TV)
Updated 6:25 p.m. May 17, 2025
