A man once on the FBI’s most wanted list for a pair of 2003 bombings in California has been captured in rural Wales after more than two decades in hiding.
Daniel Andreas San Diego, 47, was arrested in November 2024 in a cottage in Conwy Valley, north Wales. He now faces a five-day extradition hearing in London to determine if he will be returned to the United States to face trial.
San Diego, a computer specialist from Berkeley, California, was the first American-born suspect placed on the FBI’s “most wanted terrorists” list. He was indicted in 2004 for allegedly planting explosive devices at biotechnology and nutritional companies in the San Francisco Bay Area. Both bombings caused significant damage but no injuries.
The 2003 attacks
The first explosions hit the Chiron Life Science Center in Emeryville in August 2003, followed a month later by a nail-filled device detonated at Shaklee Corporation in Pleasanton. Investigators suspected the attacks were carried out on behalf of an extremist animal rights group known as the Revolutionary Cells – Animal Liberation Brigade, which claimed responsibility.
Agents concluded the second Emeryville bomb was timed to target first responders. Former FBI counterterrorism officials say they pushed to arrest San Diego once he emerged as the lead suspect, but prosecutors opted to wait, hoping surveillance might expose a wider network.
The chase and disappearance
In October 2003, San Diego gave agents the slip during a dramatic rush-hour pursuit across 65 miles of California freeways. He abandoned his car in downtown San Francisco, just steps from a subway station, and vanished.
Inside the vehicle, investigators say they discovered what appeared to be a makeshift bomb-making lab. The discovery left FBI veterans convinced they had missed their best chance to apprehend him. “It was everything you ever wanted as a detective,” recalled David Smith, a surveillance specialist on the case. “We felt confident this was the guy right away. It was a missed opportunity.”
For years, investigators believed San Diego had fled to Central or South America. His case went cold despite a $250,000 reward for information leading to his capture.
Life in Wales
Two decades later, British authorities tracked San Diego to Llidiart y Coed, a remote cottage outside the village of Maenan. He had been living under the alias “Danny Webb.” UK counterterror police and the National Crime Agency arrested him in November 2024.
Former FBI officials say it is unlikely San Diego survived so long without help. “He wasn’t Jason Bourne,” said retired agent Clyde Foreman. “He must have had support.”
Extradition battle
San Diego is currently being held at Belmarsh Prison in London. He has declined to comment publicly. U.S. prosecutors want him extradited to face charges of maliciously damaging property with explosives and possession of a destructive device.
FBI Director Christopher Wray hailed the arrest as proof that fugitives cannot outrun justice indefinitely. “No matter how long it takes, the FBI will find you and hold you accountable,” he said.
The extradition hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court begins this week.
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