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A man once listed among the FBI’s “most wanted terrorists” can be sent to the United States to stand trial after spending more than two decades on the run, a UK judge has ruled.
Daniel Andreas San Diego, now 47, is accused of carrying out two bomb attacks in Northern California in 2003. The explosions were later claimed by an animal rights extremist group.
San Diego was arrested in November 2024 at a remote property near woodland in Conwy, North Wales, where he had allegedly been living under the fake name Danny Webb. Investigators were able to identify him partly because of a distinctive chest tattoo reading “it only takes a spark.”
In 2009, San Diego became the first alleged domestic terrorist to be placed on the FBI’s most wanted list, appearing alongside figures such as former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
On Friday, Judge Samuel Goozee at Westminster Magistrates’ Court ruled there were no legal obstacles to extraditing San Diego to the US. The final decision now rests with the home secretary, a step expected to be procedural. San Diego still has the option to challenge the ruling at the High Court.
During earlier hearings, San Diego opposed extradition, with his barrister, Mark Summers KC, warning he could face a prison sentence of up to 90 years if convicted. His legal team argued that he would not receive a fair trial in the US, claiming political interference within the Department of Justice under former president Donald Trump.
They said the case was highly sensitive and that the current political climate in the US posed a risk of unfair influence over the legal process.
San Diego was first charged in California in 2004 with causing damage using explosives and possessing explosive devices. Additional charges were later added, including using or carrying explosives while committing a felony.
Two bombs exploded about an hour apart on 28 August 2003 at the Chiron biotechnology campus in Emeryville, California. A month later, on 26 September, another device packed with nails detonated at the Shaklee nutritional products company in Pleasanton.
Although no one was injured, authorities said one of the bombs appeared intended to harm emergency responders.
Responsibility for the attacks was claimed by a group calling itself the Revolutionary Cells–Animal Liberation Brigade, which said the companies were targeted because of their links to Huntingdon Life Sciences, a firm criticised by animal rights activists for animal testing.
San Diego vanished on 6 October 2003 after being seen by FBI agents parking his car near downtown San Francisco before entering a transit station. Despite reported sightings worldwide, he remained at large for years.
A reward of $250,000 (£199,000) was offered for information leading to his arrest. The FBI said San Diego, a Berkeley native, had connections to animal rights extremists, followed a vegan lifestyle, had access to a handgun, and worked in computer networking.
