A man who’s been on the run for over 20 years and made it onto the FBI’s most-wanted terrorist list has finally been caught. Daniel Andreas San Diego, now 46, was arrested in the UK, thanks to a joint effort by British law enforcement and U.S. federal agents. He’s been wanted since 2009 for his role in a series of bombings in California that targeted companies tied to animal testing.
Back in 2003, San Diego was accused of setting off bombs at two biotech companies near San Francisco. The first explosion happened on August 28 at the Chiron Life Science Center in Emeryville. Shortly after, authorities discovered another bomb nearby, which didn’t go off but seemed to be meant for first responders. A month later, a third bomb exploded at a different company in Pleasanton. Thankfully, no one was hurt in any of these attacks, but they sent shockwaves through the community.
San Diego was a vocal supporter of extreme animal rights activism, openly calling for violence to push the movement’s agenda. At the time, a group called Revolutionary Cells took responsibility for the bombings, saying the targeted companies had ties to Huntingdon Life Sciences. This medical research firm, now renamed Inotiv, faced heavy criticism from animal rights groups for its use of animal testing.
After the bombings, San Diego vanished. He fled the U.S. in October 2003 and was later charged with setting off the explosives and other related crimes. By 2009, he became the first American added to the FBI’s most-wanted terrorist list. The agency believed he was trying to cause economic damage and even harm people to stop companies from partnering with Huntingdon.
San Diego’s arrest marks a major breakthrough in a case that’s been cold for decades. The FBI hasn’t revealed when he’ll be brought back to the U.S., but it’s clear he’s facing serious charges. As FBI Director Christopher Wray put it, “There’s a right way and a wrong way to express your beliefs, and violence is never the answer.”
The controversy surrounding Huntingdon Life Sciences didn’t end with the bombings. The company, which now goes by Inotiv, faced backlash again in recent years. Over 4,000 beagles were rescued from one of its facilities in Virginia, and a government inspection revealed that hundreds of puppies had died from “unknown causes.” Animal rights activists have continued to push for change, but the case of Daniel Andreas San Diego is a reminder that the fight for justice must always stay within the law.