Local News

BERKELEY (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ― A fugitive animal rights activist charged with bombing the offices of two East Bay companies has become the first domestic terrorist named to the FBI's list of "Most Wanted" terror suspects.

Daniel Andreas San Diego, a 31-year-old computer specialist from Berkeley, disappeared following the bombings on Aug. 28, 2003, of the Emeryville biotechnology firm Chiron Inc., and on Sept. 26, 2003, of the Pleasanton cosmetics firm Shaklee Corp.

Federal authorities said San Diego wears eyeglasses and has unusual tattoos, including one that shows a burning field and proclaims, "It only takes a spark." 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced San Diego's addition to its "Most Wanted" terrorists list at a press conference Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

FBI officials said San Diego travels internationally and should be considered armed and dangerous.

In its global search for him, the FBI has spoken to officials in Germany, the United Kingdom, Costa Rica, France, Spain Denmark, Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Argentina, the Philippines, and Chile.

He has ties to Germany, and may be living in Costa Rica, officials said.

"We don't have any reason to believe he's still in the Bay Area," said FBI spokesman Joe Schadler.
 
Officials indicated that the decision to name San Diego a most wanted terrorist was intended to heighten the visibility of the case in order to locate him.

"The leads have gone stale on us, so now we're seeking the public's awareness," said FBI Assistant Director Michael Heimbach.

San Diego is the 24th person on the bureau's wanted terrorist list, and the only domestic terror suspect.

"Mr. San Diego and those like him are every bit as great a threat to the peace and security of the United States as any foreign terrorist," said Charlene Thornton, special agent in charge of the FBI's San Francisco office.

The move to add a domestic, left-wing terrorist to the list comes only days after the Obama administration was criticized for internal reports suggesting some military veterans could be susceptible to right-wing extremist recruiters or commit lone acts of violence. That prompted angry reactions from some lawmakers and veterans groups.

An arrest warrant was issued for San Diego after the 2003 bombings in the East Bay that caused minor damages.

No one was injured in the early-morning explosion at Chiron. A second bomb set to detonate an hour later was found and the area was cleared before it went off, according to the FBI. At Shaklee, a bomb wrapped in nails exploded but there were also no injuries.

A group calling itself "Revolutionary Cells" took responsibility for the blasts, telling followers in a series of e-mails that Chiron and Shaklee had been targeted for their ties to a research company that conducted drug and chemical experiments on animals.

FBI officials were not willing to comment on any potential groups affiliations that San Diego may have had.

According to the FBI, San Diego professed to be active in the animal rights movement and had expressed extreme views about the use of violence in achieving the goals of the movement.

"As a society we cannot sit idly by and allow violence to become an acceptable solution for social and political problems," Thornton said.

He added that San Diego's alleged actions had set an example to others in the animal rights movement, noting two August 2008 fire bombings in Santa Cruz by "individuals espousing similar beliefs."

A federal grand jury in 2004 indicted San Diego—who grew up in San Rafael and is the son of retired Belvedere City Manager Edmund San Diego -- on two counts of destroying or attempting to destroy property with explosives and two counts of use of a destructive device in a crime of violence.

Officials have offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to his capture, five times the reward amounts offered for other so-called eco-terrorists wanted in the U.S.

The FBI said animal rights and environmental extremists have been responsible for over 1,800 criminal acts and more than $110 million in damages. Currently, the bureau is investigating 170 animal rights or environmental extremism incidents.

Law enforcement officials described San Diego as a strict vegan who possesses a 9mm handgun. On his abdomen, he has tattoo images of burning and collapsing buildings.

The FBI's "Most Wanted" terrorist list is distinct from the much longer-running "Ten Most Wanted" list. Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden is on both.

There is another American already on the terrorist list, but he is wanted for his work overseas for al-Qaida. Adam Yahiye Gadahn grew up in California but moved to Pakistan and works as a translator and consultant to al-Qaida.

According to the FBI, San Diego graduated from San Rafael's Terra Linda High School, briefly attended Los Medanos College in Brentwood, lost a job at a high-tech company in February 2003, and later tried to launch a vegan bakery in Schellville in Sonoma County, but the business failed.

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