FBI officials in California called out a bomb explosion outside a fertility clinic that killed one person and injured four people, a “intentional act of terrorism.”
The explosion occurred before 11:00 local time (19:00 BST), less than a mile from downtown Palm Springs, close to several businesses including the American Reproductive Center (ARC). No one in the facility was harmed, the clinic said.
The FBI later said it had a “interested person” in the investigation, but officials “didn’t actively search for” the suspect.
Rhino Williams told the BBC in a nearby restaurant that he heard the explosion and initially believed the plane or helicopter had crashed.
He said he ran to the scene to see if he could help and found a heavily damaged building with walls blown up and the front axle of the car in the parking lot caught fire.
“That’s all of that,” Mr Williams said, also seeing an iPhone still standing in the parking lot on a tripod, as if to shoot or play the explosion.
Mr Williams said he rushed through the building and shouted for anyone injured – but no one was found. A few minutes later, the first responder arrived.
The FBI said in a press conference late Saturday that it was a intentional attack.
“This is an act of intentional terrorism. As our investigation will go on, we will determine whether it is international terrorism or family terrorism.”
Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills said the explosion damaged several buildings and some were severely damaged.
He added that the identity of the person who was killed was unknown.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said the state is coordinating with local and federal authorities to deal with the incident.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said she had briefed the incident.
The Arc of Palm Springs says the explosion occurred in a parking lot near its building.
It is not clear what was the cause of the explosion.
Palm Springs Mayor Ron de Harte told BBC’s U.S. partner CBS News that the root cause of the explosion is “in or near the vehicle.”
Palm Springs police officer Mike Villegas told reporters Saturday afternoon that the incident appeared to have been “intentional”. He added that this is still an active investigation.
The fertility clinic says their lab, including all eggs and embryos, is still “completely safe and undamaged.”
“We are conducting a comprehensive safety check and confirm that our operations and sensitive medical areas are not affected by the explosion,” the clinic said in its statement.
But Dr. Maher Abdallah, who runs the clinic, told the Associated Press that the clinic’s office was damaged.
“I really don’t know what happened,” he said. “Thank God today is our day without a patient.”
According to its website, the ARC Clinic is the first full-service fertility center and IVF in Coachella Valley.
It offers services such as fertility assessment, IVF, egg donation and freezing, reproductive support for same-sex couples and surrogacy.
The BBC has contacted Palm Springs Police for further comment.
