From Bay Area Bombings to North Wales: The Capture of Daniel Andreas San Diego

In this episode, we explore the extraordinary case of Daniel Andreas San Diego, the American fugitive who spent more than two decades on the run before his dramatic arrest in rural North Wales in November 2024.

San Diego, a committed animal rights activist and computer specialist from California, was linked to two 2003 bombings targeting companies associated with animal testing. Though no one was injured, the use of nail-packed devices and secondary explosions marked a chilling escalation in extremist tactics. When the FBI closed in, he vanished, eventually becoming the first domestic terrorism suspect placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list.

For 21 years, he lived a ghostlike existence—surfacing in rumours from Hawaii to Europe—before quietly settling in Conwy, North Wales. Locals described him as a reclusive “American man,” unaware he was one of the world’s most sought-after fugitives. His arrest, carried out by armed officers with support from the National Crime Agency, stunned the community and made global headlines.

San Diego now faces extradition to the United States, closing a chapter that blends radical activism, international manhunt, and the quiet landscapes of North Wales.

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References:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn524g92gxzo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_edge
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Andreas_San_Diego
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/czxv9wxrqeeo
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd6vd55v5n7o
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c33exln14mgo
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/fbi-san-diego-north-wales-california-san-francisco-b2658126.html
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czr7583ek1eo
https://www.gbnews.com/news/us/wales-news-fbis-most-wanted-terrorist-daniel-andreas-san-diego-court
https://www.deeside.com/fbi-most-wanted-terrorist-arrested-in-north-wales-after-over-20-years-on-the-run/#google_vignette

Transcript

Imagine this: You’re strolling through your local farmers’ market in North Wales, the scent of organic basil in the air, vendors smiling under the morning sun. A man passes by—quiet, polite, maybe even handsome in an unassuming way. You wouldn’t look twice. He might be sipping kombucha or asking about the pesticide history of your apples.

But what if I told you that same man is on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist list?

In 2003, two bombs rocked corporate offices in the San Francisco Bay Area. One exploded outside a biotech firm called Chiron Corporation. The second was planted at Shaklee Corporation just three weeks later. These weren’t crude, last-minute pipe bombs. They were sophisticated, timed, and packed with nails meant to inflict serious harm. A group calling itself The Revolutionary Cells – Animal Liberation Brigade claimed responsibility.

Their target? Companies allegedly involved in animal testing.

And that man, who has just brushed past you, is the prime suspect. And he is somehow here in little old Wales.

So, who is Daniel Andreas San Diego? Is he a terrorist? A freedom fighter? A ghost? Or something in between?

In today’s episode, we won’t just be retracing the timeline of events. We’ll be exploring the ideological roots of radical animal activism, the controversial use of the term “eco-terrorism,” and the blurry line between protest and extremism. We’ll also examine the odd silence that followed his disappearance—no known communication, no manifesto, no second wave of attacks. Just… vanished.

There are podcasts about serial killers, cult leaders, and drug kingpins. But Daniel Andreas San Diego’s story is different. It’s quieter. Smarter. More ideological. And maybe, just maybe, still unfinished.

So grab your headphones, keep your wits about you, and join me as we unravel the chilling enigma of America’s most elusive vegan.

This is the story of Daniel Andreas San Diego—a man who vanished into thin air over two decades ago, leaving behind scorched buildings, radical ideologies, and a trail gone cold. And how, for reasons unknown, he found himself in North Wales.

Music

Born on the 9th of February 1978 in Berkeley, California, Daniel was raised in San Rafael. He attended Terra Linda High School, and was known to be smart and precautious, achieving fairly good grades.

It has since been reported that Daniel’s family were middle class and that he seemed like a pretty average kid.

Eventually, he was to take classes at College of Marin and also worked at San Rafael High School’s radio station. He was said to be a big fan of heavy metal and rock music.

As a young man, Daniel was said to have become interested in the animal rights movement and eventually, he gave up drugs, meat and milk products. It was also at this time that he developed an interest in the straight-edge movement and chose to become a vegan.

For those unfamiliar, the straight-edge movement is a subculture of hardcore punk whose supporters refrain from using alcohol, tobacco and recreational drugs. They do this in objection to the punk movement, many of whom are seen as abusing the aforementioned.

Additionally, many of those who follow the Straight Edge choose to become vegans and avoid caffeine and prescription drugs.

In the end, Daniel was to identify as a “straight edge vegan environmentalist” and an “animal liberationist”.

By 2003, Daniel was living in the Schellville area of California and was working as a computer specialist. In later interviews, his landlord would describe him as a “very nice and personable” man and that he had once claimed to be on the cusp of starting his own business. According to this source, he was about to start a marshmallow company, one that made vegan-friendly, gelatine-free treats. However, he never got the impression that Daniel was radical in his views.

The FBI would later claim that San Diego had been active within the San Francisco area and that he had ties to Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty—an international group campaigning against Huntingdon Life Sciences, the largest drug and chemical animal testing laboratory in Europe.

Before the bombings, SHAC had targeted customers of Huntingdon Life Sciences and its employees, accusing them of being “puppy killers”.

On the 28th of August 2003, two homemade, sophisticated bombs exploded at the Chiron Corporation facility in Emeryville, California. Both exploded within an hour of the other, but thankfully no one was injured and there was only minor property damage.

The FBI would later reveal that they believed the timing of these bombs was intentional, suggesting that the second bomb was planted to target all responders to the scene.

On the 23rd of September 2003, a third bomb was located at the Shaklee Corporation in Pleasanton, California. Again, there was damage to the property but no one was injured.

It would later be revealed that the bombs had used mechanical timers and ammonium nitrate. Both locations were clients of Huntingdon Life Sciences—and it is believed that this is why they were chosen.

Shortly after, a group called The Revolutionary Cells – Animal Liberation Brigade was to take responsibility for the attacks. They had sent an email alleging that they were responsible for each bomb.

Daniel Andreas San Diego was named as the prime suspect.

The FBI’s assistant Director, Michael J Heimbach, told the BBC that the suspect had:
 “Domestic acts of terror planned out and possibly intended to take lives, destroy property and create economic hardship for the companies involved.”

The FBI claim that they cannot prove that it was Daniel who had sent the emails, but they believe they can prove his links to the group.

In 2003, the FBI placed Daniel under surveillance, but he soon realised that he was being watched. On the 6th of October 2003, he parked his car in downtown San Francisco, California, and walked away.

In 2013, FBI agent David Johnson, who was working the case, said:
 "He parked his car, got out of his vehicle and started walking down the street and if I'm not mistaken, he went into a Bart [train] station and that was the last time we've seen him."

This case came in the wake of the investigation into the Unabomber, and bombings were a particular concern for the Federal Bureau.

He wasn’t seen again until November 2024, when he was found in West Wales.

In 2004, Daniel was indicted, and he became the first domestic to be added to the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list. A list typically reserved for international threats. He was also the first animal rights and eco-terrorist to be added.

Interestingly, this list had only been created in the wake of the September 11th attacks by President George W Bush. Initially, the list only had 22 names on it, including Osama Bin Laden. At the time of writing this episode, there are 23 people on the list.

There are 22 men and 1 woman on the list. Her name is Joanne Chesimard, and she is wanted for escaping prison. At the time, she was serving a sentence for murder and had been part of a revolutionary extremist organisation known as the Black Liberation Army.

On the 2nd of May 1973, she and two of her accomplices were stopped by New Jersey State Police for a traffic violation. She was already wanted for several serious felonies, and the interaction resulted in her group opening fire on the troopers. One was injured and one was killed—execution style. Chesimard fled the scene but was later apprehended. One accomplice met the same fate, while the other was killed.

On the 2nd of November 1979, she escaped prison and was said to have lived underground before escaping to Cuba. She remains at large.

This resulted in San Diego’s face being everywhere: post offices, airports, FBI websites, and even billboards. A $250,000 reward was offered. But despite multiple alleged sightings over the years—in places like Hawaii, Canada, and even Costa Rica—he had never been caught.

In 2014, as part of the FBI’s National Digital Billboard Initiative, Daniel was featured on electronic billboards in California, Massachusetts, Oregon, Nevada and Florida, as well as along the US-Canada border between New York and Washington.

It was around this time that the FBI received what they called a credible tip placing him in Northampton, Massachusetts. And again, in 2014, he was said to be on Hawaii’s Big Island.

He was never located, despite being featured on America’s Most Wanted on five occasions.

As of 2022, a reward of up to $250,000 was still being offered for his capture.

The FBI also suggested that Daniel was “skilled at sailing, and has travelled internationally”.

On the 25th of November 2024, Daniel Andreas San Diego’s run came to an end, when he was arrested at a property in Maenan, right in the heart of rural Wales. The property itself was beautiful, and it has since been reported that Daniel paid £425,000 for the home in North Wales and that he was using the alias of Danny Webb.

The BBC described the property as:
 “The house in question is a white villa with a balcony offering striking views of rolling hills and a well-manicured garden.”

The man who sold Daniel the house later joked that he wished he’d checked the FBI’s most wanted list, as he had “missed out on the bounty.” He suggested that anyone selling their homes should check the list—just in case.

Former Scotland Yard detective—and now media personality—Peter Blakesley suggested that this decision may have been the start of his downfall:

"Maybe purchasing that property created the electronic footprint opportunity for the FBI to exploit, which therefore led to his capture.

Gone are the days when drug dealers could walk into an estate agent’s with carrier bags full of cash and literally go 'I'll buy that flat or I'll buy that house' because of course we have money laundering regulations. Banks have to ask certain questions of people if they transfer a sizable sum of money.

If anybody involved in that process, be it estate agent, bank, solicitors, had any suspicions as to the money trail and they flagged it up to the authorities, that would start an investigation."

Little information has been released about his discovery, but the US police asked British authorities to arrest him. The National Crime Agency acted on this, with the support of counterterrorism and North Wales police.

In a conversation with the man who sold Daniel the property, Aled Evans commented:
 "It was a perfect place to hide, and he was besotted with the view from the house."

Daniel had told Aled that he was excited about the woodland behind the property because he was into his mountain biking.

The location itself is just off the A470, one of Wales’s main artery roads, and was just 10 miles from Conwy.

The BBC described the area as:
 “A sprawling community of farms and isolated cottages, many of which are now holiday homes or holiday lets. There is no shop or village pub.”

There are still gaps in the knowledge about this case, including how long he had been living there. But US authorities suggest that he had been there for at least a few years. Something that other members of the local community have also echoed.

Many of the neighbours reported that they had little to no contact with the wanted man. But they could identify his car, which was parked in the driveway.

In response to his arrest, FBI Director Christopher Wray commented:
 "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. 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."

In February 2025, it was revealed that Daniel Andreas San Diego will face extradition later this year.

Due to start on the 5th of September, the hearing could last up to five days. Having been on the run for 21 years and now aged 46, he now has a meeting with Lady Justice.

This case is still unfolding and leaves many questions in its wake. How did he survive all those years? Where was he able to get that kind of money from? How did he move around without a passport? And how long was he in the UK? And how did they find him?

We will be watching closely and will cover this case again, as and when it feels needed.