The unassuming Welsh hideout of FBI’s most needed: Fugitive ‘terrorist’ stored low profile in distant village the place he drove seven-year-old Seat and ate vegan meals whereas on the run over 2003 San Francisco double bombing
This is the remote and idyllic Welsh beauty spot where one of the FBI‘s ‘most wanted terrorists’ was finally traced, more than 20 years after going on the run.
To the handful of neighbours with whom he shared a wooded hillside above the stunning Conwy Valley with views into the foothills of Snowdonia, he was known as Danny.
Since he bought the £425,000 detached bungalow with a Nationwide mortgage in August last year, most locals have only exchanged sufficient words with the new arrival to establish that he is American – and enjoyed vegan food, judging by burger and noodle packaging spilling out of his bins.
If they saw him at all it was driving around in his seven-year-old Seat, or chopping wood beside his detached garage.
‘He didn’t really seem keen to talk whenever we bumped into him,’ one neighbour said yesterday after MailOnline became the first news outlet to pinpoint the location of the fugitive’s hide-out.
‘It’s such a secluded place, no-one would even know there was a house there unless you walked right up to it.
‘We just assumed he had his reasons to move somewhere out of the way and just left him alone.’
This is the remote and idyllic Welsh beauty spot where one of the FBI’s ‘most wanted terrorists’ was finally traced
To the handful of neighbours with whom he shared a wooded hillside above the stunning Conwy Valley with views into the foothills of Snowdonia, he was known as Danny
Daniel Andreas San Diego, 46, had been on the run from the FBI for the last two decades and was one of America’s ‘most wanted terrorists’
However the true identity of ‘Danny’ would dramatically be revealed when armed police from the North Wales force descended on the peaceful rural spot on Monday.
They had been directed there by FBI agents who had never given up the hunt for 46-year-old Daniel Andreas San Diego.
The alleged animal rights extremist was listed as one of the US’s ‘most wanted terrorists’ after two bombings in San Francisco, California, in August 2003.
Two devices had been detonated on an Emeryville campus – a biotechnology corporation – an hour apart in the summer of that year.
Then, the following September, a bomb wrapped in nails blew up at a nutritional products corporation in Pleasanton.
Thankfully, no one was injured.
The agency issued a warrant for California-born San Diego’s arrest in October 2003, but the committed vegan vanished before he could be taken into custody.
It issued posters with his last known appearance headed ‘most wanted terrorist’, advising the public that the tattooed former computer network specialist was ‘skilled at sailing’ and had ‘travelled internationally’.
‘He is known to possess a handgun,’ it adds.
There was also a reward of $250,000 (£199,000) on offer for details leading to his arrest.
Daniel’s Seat car which is pictured abandoned about 400 yards from the house he was found in
A vegan shopping bag, rucksack and car cleaning products were left on the front seat of the car
A pay and display ticket from August 28 from a visit to an RSPB reserve is seen in the car’s front window
The house is hidden from the 800 yard dirt track by a large garage
Pictured is the home’s wood store in the rear of the garden
The 800 yard gravel track, off the B road, that leads up to the house
A slate sign sits near the garage, which may have been left by the previous owners, asks ‘Mr Binman’ for ‘loads of bags’
Exactly what led investigators to the village of Maenan – with its population of around 300 people – has yet to be revealed.
But within hours of his arrest on Monday, ‘Danny’ was being transported to London by the National Crime Agency – dubbed Britain’s FBI.
San Diego yesterday appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court as the procedure for his extradition to face charges in the US starts.
Locals in Maenan who had been alerted by the presence of armed police and a drone hovering overhead little suspected they were witnessing an international swoop.
‘It was when I saw on the news that a fugitive had been arrested in North Wales that I recognised him straight away,’ the neighbour told MailOnline.
‘I couldn’t believe it – we’d been living so close to someone who’d been on the run from the FBI for 20 years.
‘It’s no wonder he never told us anything about his background.
‘We would just exchange a few words when we passed him while walking the dog, he never introduced himself.
‘One thing I always noticed was there was always lots of discarded vegan food packaging around his bins – which all makes a lot of sense now.’
The alleged terrorist was found in a rural property near a woodland in the area of Conwy
Daniel Andreas San Diego, 46, (pictured) was among the FBI’s ‘most wanted terrorists’ following two bombings in the area of San Francisco in August 2003
Daniel Andreas San Diego pictured throughout the years on the top,alongside several computer touch ups showing what he could possibly look like
Assistant Director of the Counterterrorism Division Michael J. Heimbach announcing that San Diego had been arrested
Today there was no sign of any police searches at the house, which is set in well-maintained gardens screened from walkers using a popular footpath by bushes.
A large terrace would have enabled him to take in the sweeping views towards Snowdonia.
A large woodpile where ‘Danny’ – who apparently lived alone – would be seen chopping logs stands ready for the cold winter months.
His car – which has a pay and display from a visit to an RSPB reserve in the window – stands abandoned at the bottom of the driveway.
Yesterday FBI Director Christopher Wray said: ‘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.’
‘Daniel San Diego’s arrest after more than 20 years… shows that no matter how long it takes, the FBI will find you and hold you accountable.’
An NCA spokesperson said: ‘On Monday 25 November 2024, officers from the National Crime Agency, supported by colleagues from Counter Terrorism Policing and North Wales Police, arrested Daniel Andreas San Diego, aged 46, in the Conwy area of Wales, at the request of the US authorities.
‘He appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court today (26 November) as extradition proceedings began. He was remanded in custody.’
