Daniel Andreas San Diego, a suspected eco-terrorist who spent over 20 years on the FBI’s Most Wanted List, has been found living in a small town in south Wales. He has been charged with planting two bombs on the campus of a biotechnology company in California in August 2003, as well as planting a nail bomb at a nutritional products company a month later. The FBI claims San Diego has ties to the animal rights extremist group ‘Revolutionary Cells-Animal Liberation Brigade’, who claimed responsibility for the bombings.
After evading authorities for more than two decades, San Diego was apprehended by officers from the National Crime Agency at a property in rural Wales on November 25. He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London via video link from HMP Belmarsh for an extradition hearing. The short hearing saw San Diego confirm his name while wearing a gray prison-issue tracksuit. His next scheduled court appearance is on December 31.
San Diego had been on the run since 2003 and became the first person suspected of domestic terrorism to be added to the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist list in 2009. A reward of $250,000 was offered for information leading to his arrest, and he managed to evade US authorities for many years. FBI Director Christopher Wray stated that San Diego’s arrest after more than 20 years as a fugitive shows that the FBI will find and hold accountable those who turn to violence and destruction of property to express their views.
In October 2003, while under FBI surveillance, San Diego parked his car in San Francisco and disappeared into a nearby transit station, never to be seen again. He was eventually tracked and found in Maeman, a rural and sparsely populated settlement in Conwy, Wales. The area consists mostly of farms and isolated cottages, with many properties believed to be holiday homes. San Diego’s arrest highlights the FBI’s persistence in pursuing fugitives, even after a long period of evasion.
San Diego’s extradition hearing in London sheds light on the legal process he will face as he is brought to justice for his alleged involvement in the bombings in California. The case has garnered attention due to his lengthy time as a fugitive and the nature of the crimes he is accused of committing. The FBI’s efforts to track and capture him serve as a reminder that individuals who resort to violence and destruction to express their views will be held accountable. The outcome of San Diego’s legal proceedings will determine the consequences he faces for his actions.
