Daniel Park, a man charged with supplying chemicals for a bombing at a California fertility clinic, died in federal custody, officials announced Tuesday (June 24). Park, 32, was accused of providing ammonium nitrate to Guy Edward Bartkus, the bomber, who died in the explosion on May 17. The attack, which authorities labeled as terrorism, destroyed the Palm Springs clinic and damaged nearby buildings, although no embryos were harmed.
Park was found unresponsive at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles and was pronounced dead at a hospital. The cause of death has not been disclosed. Authorities reported that Park, originally from suburban Seattle, had shipped 180 pounds of ammonium nitrate to Bartkus in January and purchased an additional 90 pounds shortly before the explosion. The two men connected through fringe online forums, sharing beliefs against human procreation.
Park was arrested at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport after being extradited from Poland, where he fled days after the bombing. He faced charges of providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists. The federal complaint detailed Park's involvement, including a visit to California to experiment with explosives in Bartkus's garage months before the attack.