ONE of America’s most wanted fugitives has been arrested in Wales, 21 years after a double bombing in San Francisco.
Daniel Andreas San Diego, 46, was detained on Monday following a joint operation involving counter-terrorism officers, North Wales Police, and Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA).
San Diego, described by the FBI as an “animal rights extremist,” was apprehended at a remote property near woodland in rural north Wales. He now faces extradition to the United States to face charges related to two bombings in California in 2003.
Fugitive for over two decades
FBI Director Christopher Wray said:”Daniel San Diego’s arrest after more than 20 years as a fugitive for two bombings in the San Francisco area shows that no matter how long it takes, the FBI will find you and hold you accountable.”
He added: “There’s a right way and a wrong way to express your views in our country, and turning to violence and destruction of property is not the right way.”
The NCA confirmed San Diego was arrested at the request of US authorities. He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Tuesday, where extradition proceedings began.
An NCA spokesperson said: “He was remanded in custody.”
First domestic terrorist on FBI’s most wanted list
San Diego, born in Berkeley, California, was the first alleged domestic terrorist added to the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list. The agency previously offered a $250,000 (£199,000) reward for information leading to his arrest.
He was wanted for allegedly bombing two office buildings in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The first bombing occurred on 28 August 2003, outside the Chiron Life Science Center in Emeryville, California. Authorities later discovered a second bomb at the scene, which detonated before it could be defused, raising concerns that it was planted to target first responders.
Less than a month later, in September 2003, a nail bomb exploded outside a nutritional products corporation in Pleasanton, California.
Long-standing charges
In July 2004, San Diego was indicted by the United States District Court in the Northern District of California for his alleged involvement in the bombings.
The case remained unsolved until this week’s arrest, ending two decades of pursuit by the FBI and law enforcement agencies across the globe.
