A man on the FBI’s most wanted list who vanished more than two decades ago has been arrested and is now facing extradition to the United States. Daniel Andreas San Diego, 47, is accused of carrying out bombings in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2003 and evading capture for 21 years before being discovered living quietly in a cottage in north Wales.
San Diego had a $250,000 bounty on his head and was the first US-born citizen to be placed on the FBI’s most wanted terrorist list. He is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court in London for a five-day hearing to determine whether he will be extradited to face charges in the US.
Prosecutors allege that he was behind two separate bombings targeting firms believed to have links to animal testing. The first occurred on August 28, 2003, when two devices exploded at a biotechnology company in Emeryville, California. Investigators suspect the second device was deliberately planted to target first responders. A month later, on September 26, a nail bomb detonated at a nutritional products company in Pleasanton, about 30 miles away. No casualties were reported in either attack.
At the time, investigators linked the incidents to the Revolutionary Cells – Animal Liberation Brigade, a group claiming responsibility for violent actions against organizations tied to animal testing.
FBI surveillance teams had identified San Diego as their main suspect in 2003 and had been preparing to arrest him. However, a decision was made to continue surveillance in hopes he might lead authorities to other members of the group. That strategy backfired when San Diego managed to evade capture during a high-speed chase through California, ultimately abandoning his car in downtown San Francisco. Inside the vehicle, investigators found what they described as a makeshift bomb-making lab, strengthening suspicions against him.
His sudden disappearance left authorities frustrated, with agents later acknowledging it as a “missed opportunity.” Despite international efforts, he remained at large until his discovery in the UK in 2024.
Now, more than two decades after the bombings, San Diego is finally set to face trial. If extradited, he will stand before a US federal court to answer charges of maliciously damaging property with explosives.
