A suspected animal rights extremist on the United States’ most wanted terrorist list since 2009 in connection with the bombing of a California biotechnology company has been arrested in the United Kingdom, the FBI announced Tuesday.
The suspect, Daniel Andreas San Diego, was arrested in Wales on Monday in an operation carried out by Britain’s National Crime Agency, Counter Terrorism Police and North Wales Police in coordination with the FBI, the FBI said in a statement. release. It was not immediately clear if San Diego, who is now in custody awaiting extradition, has legal representation.
San Diego was charged in connection with an explosion at the biotechnology company Chiron Inc. near Oakland, California, in August 2003. A second bomb found there was defused by authorities and was possibly intended to target first responders. . Authorities accuse San Diego of planting a third bomb at another California business a month later.
DANIEL ANDREAS SAN DIEGO FBI poster (credit: FBI WEBSITE)
No one was injured in either incident, the FBI said.
Fugitive linked to animal rights attacks
An entity calling itself Revolutionary Cells claimed responsibility for the attacks in statements posted on an animal rights website, citing the targeted companies’ alleged links to Huntingdon Life Sciences, which had been criticized by activists. of animal rights for its use of animal testing and is now part of the company Inotiv.
In 2004, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against San Diego on two counts of destruction or attempted destruction of property with explosives and two counts of use of a destructive device in a crime of violence.
The FBI has said that San Diego openly expressed extreme views advocating the use of violence to achieve the goals of the animal rights movement.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said the arrest showed that no matter how long a suspect was on the run, the agency would not cease its search.
“There is a right way and a wrong way to express your views in our country, and resorting to violence and destruction of property is not the right way,” Wray said.
