A suspected terrorist who evaded the FBI for more than two decades has appeared in a UK court as authorities consider extraditing him to the United States. Daniel Andreas San Diego, 47, was arrested last November near Maenan, Conwy, after 21 years on the run. He was among the FBI’s “most wanted fugitives” for his alleged involvement in bombings in San Francisco in 2003.
San Diego is accused of carrying out explosions at two sites linked to the pharmaceutical company Huntingdon Life Sciences, a target of animal rights campaigners for more than a decade. The first bombing occurred on 28 August 2003 in Emeryville, California, followed by a second blast on 26 September in Pleasanton. No one was injured in either attack.
Court documents revealed that San Diego was stopped by a traffic warden shortly before the Pleasanton bombing. Searches of his home and car in October 2003 uncovered magazines on animal rights and materials for making explosives, including pipes, acetone, and copper wire consistent with the bombs. His fingerprints were found on some of the materials.
Prosecutors told Westminster Magistrates Court that, if extradited, San Diego faces charges including causing damage with explosives, carrying an unregistered firearm, and using explosives in further criminal acts. They warned he could face decades in prison.
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However, defence lawyers raised constitutional concerns. Expert David Patton highlighted potential violations of double jeopardy rules, which protect against being tried twice for the same offence. Defence counsel Mark Summers argued that some counts in the US indictment, such as “possession of a bomb for the purposes of bombing,” could not logically be tried together and that stacking multiple charges could lead to a sentence of up to 90 years.
Patton also explained that in the US, defendants can face multiple mandatory minimum sentences for the same conduct, effectively coercing guilty pleas and reducing the number of cases that go to trial. Whereas around 15–20% of offences were tried in court in the late 1970s, today only about 2% reach trial due to the risks posed by such sentencing structures.
The extradition hearing is ongoing, and a decision will determine whether San Diego will face trial in the United States for crimes allegedly committed more than two decades ago.