A Suspected Animal Rights Extremist, Wanted in US for Over 20 Years, Arrested in Britain
A suspected animal rights extremist, Daniel Andreas San Diego, wanted in the US for bombings in the San Francisco area, has been arrested in Britain after more than 20 years on the run from the law. He was apprehended on Monday in a rural area in northern Wales and will be extradited to face charges. San Diego, 46, is accused of planting two bombs in 2003 that exploded on the campus of a biotechnology company and another bomb at a nutritional products company, both in California. The bombings did not harm anyone, but the first bomb was intended to target first responders.
According to investigators, the bombs were part of a campaign by a group called Revolutionary Cells-Animal Liberation Brigade, which targeted companies with ties to Huntingdon Life Sciences, a company that worked with experimental drugs and chemicals on animals. San Diego’s father was the city manager of a wealthy suburb in California, and he had a background in computer network specialist and was known to carry a handgun.
The FBI had been searching for San Diego for over two decades, offering a $250,000 reward for information leading to his arrest. He was added to the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist List in 2009 and appeared on several episodes of the TV program “America’s Most Wanted.” The FBI Director, Christopher Wray, praised the arrest, stating that while there is a right way and a wrong way to express one’s views, violence and destruction of property are not the right way.
After his disappearance in 2003, San Diego was believed to be in hiding, with numerous sightings reported around the world. He was finally apprehended in a coastal area of Wales, 5,000 miles from San Francisco. He is currently being held in custody and will face extradition to the US to face charges.