A vehicle bomb explosion at a Palm Springs fertility clinic killed two people and injured 22, with the FBI investigating the incident as a suspected act of domestic terrorism linked to 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus of Twentynine Palms.

The attack, though unsuccessful, delivered a seismic shock to patients who feared for the safety of their embryos. But a firefighter’s risky plan averted disaster.

Bartkus is believed to be the person who detonated a bomb at the Palm Springs American Reproductive Center, which offers services like IVF, because he was aligned with the pro-mortalist and anti-natalist movements—the idea that humans should not continue to procreate.

The FBI believes the suspect in the Palm Springs explosion left behind "anti-pro-life" writings before carrying out the attack, officials said.