Fugitive Animal Rights Activist May Not Be Extradited to US
For nearly two decades, Daniel Andreas San Diego, a 25-year-old information technology specialist and animal rights activist, evaded capture as the FBI's main suspect in a series of pipe bombings targeting Bay Area companies. Now, at 47, San Diego stands trial for his alleged crimes, with British authorities weighing whether to extradite him back to the United States.
San Diego was pulled over by a Pleasanton police officer about an hour before another pipe bomb exploded outside Shaklee Corporation's building in September 2003. He was released but was later put under 24-hour surveillance after investigators linked his name to the bombings, which targeted companies with ties to Huntingdon Life Sciences, a British research company that drew ire from animal rights activists.
After San Diego evaded US authorities, his trail went cold, and he eventually surfaced in Great Britain around February 2005. He obtained several jobs and built a new life under an assumed identity, using an Irish passport bearing the name "Danny Stephen Webb." His true identity was uncovered when locals recognized tattoos from his radical days.
San Diego's extradition fight has become a courtroom referendum on the compromised state of American justice during the Trump administration. His lawyers argue that the US is no longer a country where he can receive a fair trial, citing issues with political interference and disproportionate sentencing. They claim that if convicted, San Diego faces serious risks of harm from other incarcerated people due to being designated a "high-risk" prisoner.
The case also sheds new light on an almost-forgotten chapter in American extremism - the post-9/11 "green scare," when federal law enforcement claimed "ecoterrorism and animal-rights movement" as the No 1 domestic terrorism threat. The crackdown institutionalized law enforcement's focus on social movements and activism, experts say.
The final days of evidence at San Diego's extradition hearing will be December 8, with closing arguments scheduled for December 23. Senior district judge Paul Goldspring is expected to rule on San Diego's extradition early in January 2026.
For nearly two decades, Daniel Andreas San Diego, a 25-year-old information technology specialist and animal rights activist, evaded capture as the FBI's main suspect in a series of pipe bombings targeting Bay Area companies. Now, at 47, San Diego stands trial for his alleged crimes, with British authorities weighing whether to extradite him back to the United States.
San Diego was pulled over by a Pleasanton police officer about an hour before another pipe bomb exploded outside Shaklee Corporation's building in September 2003. He was released but was later put under 24-hour surveillance after investigators linked his name to the bombings, which targeted companies with ties to Huntingdon Life Sciences, a British research company that drew ire from animal rights activists.
After San Diego evaded US authorities, his trail went cold, and he eventually surfaced in Great Britain around February 2005. He obtained several jobs and built a new life under an assumed identity, using an Irish passport bearing the name "Danny Stephen Webb." His true identity was uncovered when locals recognized tattoos from his radical days.
San Diego's extradition fight has become a courtroom referendum on the compromised state of American justice during the Trump administration. His lawyers argue that the US is no longer a country where he can receive a fair trial, citing issues with political interference and disproportionate sentencing. They claim that if convicted, San Diego faces serious risks of harm from other incarcerated people due to being designated a "high-risk" prisoner.
The case also sheds new light on an almost-forgotten chapter in American extremism - the post-9/11 "green scare," when federal law enforcement claimed "ecoterrorism and animal-rights movement" as the No 1 domestic terrorism threat. The crackdown institutionalized law enforcement's focus on social movements and activism, experts say.
The final days of evidence at San Diego's extradition hearing will be December 8, with closing arguments scheduled for December 23. Senior district judge Paul Goldspring is expected to rule on San Diego's extradition early in January 2026.
. Extradition proceedings are bad enough, but the fact that it's become a referendum on the state of American justice during the Trump admin is just wild 
. I mean, I get why his lawyers want to argue about fairness and sentencing, but can't we just focus on the facts? The guy's already been evading capture for years, now he's trying to build a new life under an assumed identity 
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. I'm not going to take sides or anything, but it does seem like law enforcement got a bit too caught up in monitoring social movements and activism back then 
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. Can't we just have a straightforward extradition hearing without all the drama and politics 
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! So, Daniel Andreas San Diego was a fugitive for ages and then he just waltzed into the UK and started living under a new identity 
. They claim that if he gets extradited back to the States, he'll be in serious danger because of who he is 
. But at the same time, I feel like he's trying to pull a fast one on everyone by using an assumed identity and everything 
. Like, who knew law enforcement was so concerned about social movements and activism? 
. And yeah, this whole thing does make you wonder about the state of justice during certain administrations... but not sure where I'd take it from here 
This guy's been under surveillance for like 20 years and now he's getting a trial? It's crazy! And the whole thing is being used as a referendum on American justice during Trump's admin... like it's all so partisan. 
. He sounds like a young man who got caught up in the wrong things, but was never given a chance to turn his life around 
. The fact that he's been evading capture for so long and has built an entire new identity for himself is heartbreaking 
. It just goes to show how broken our system can be when it comes to justice and rehabilitation. What if he's telling the truth about the US not being a fair place for him? 
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. No judgment until all the facts are out... and a credible source doesn't lie to me 
. Like, the whole "green scare" thing was super messed up and targeted innocent activists who were just trying to make a difference 
It's so frustrating when politics gets in the way of justice.