This is the remote and idyllic Welsh beauty spot where one of the FBI’s ‘most wanted terrorists’ was finally tracked down, more than 20 years after he went on the run.
To the handful of neighbors with whom he shared a wooded hillside above the beautiful Conwy Valley overlooking 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 enough words with the newcomer to establish that he is American – and enjoyed vegan food, judging by the wrappers of hamburgers and noodles spilling out of his house. baking.
If they saw him at all, it was driving around in his seven-year-old Seat, or chopping wood next to his detached garage.
“He didn’t really seem to want to talk when we met him,” a neighbor said yesterday after MailOnline became the first news outlet to pinpoint the location of the fugitive’s hideout.
‘It’s such a remote place that no one would know there was a house there unless you walked straight to it.
“We just assumed he had his reasons for moving somewhere else and just left him alone.”
This is the remote and idyllic beauty spot in Wales where one of the FBI’s ‘most wanted terrorists’ was finally tracked down
To the handful of neighbors with whom he shared a wooded hill above the beautiful Conwy Valley overlooking the foothills of Snowdonia, he was known as Danny.
Daniel Andreas San Diego, 46, was on the run from the FBI for the past two decades and was one of America’s ‘most wanted terrorists’
However, the true identity of ‘Danny’ was set to be dramatically revealed when armed police from the North Wales Defense Force entered the peaceful rural spot on Monday.
They were sent there by FBI agents who had never given up on 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.
In the summer of that year, two devices were detonated at an Emeryville campus, a biotechnology company, an hour apart.
Then, the following September, a bomb wrapped in nails exploded at a food products company in Pleasanton.
Fortunately, no one was injured.
The agency issued an arrest warrant for the California native in San Diego in October 2003, but the devoted vegan disappeared before he could be taken into custody.
Posters were issued featuring his last known appearance, entitled ‘most wanted terrorist’, informing the public that the tattooed former computer networking specialist was ‘adept in sailing’ and had ‘traveled internationally’.
“He is known to own a gun,” it adds.
A reward of $250,000 (£199,000) was also offered for details leading to his arrest.
Daniel’s Seat car, pictured in an abandoned spot about 400 yards from the house in which he was found
In the front seat of the car were a vegan shopping bag, backpack and car cleaning products
A payment and display ticket dated 28 August for a visit to an RSPB reserve can be seen in the windscreen of the car
The house is hidden from the 800 meter unpaved road by a large garage
The photo shows the wood shed of the house at the back of the garden
The 800 meter long gravel path, next to the B-road, that leads to the house
At the garage there is a slate sign, which may have been left by the previous owners, asking ‘Mr Binman’ for ‘lots of bags’
What exactly led investigators to the village of Maenan – with its approximately 300 residents – has yet to be revealed.
But within hours of his arrest on Monday, ‘Danny’ was transported to London by the National Crime Agency – also known as Britain’s FBI.
San Diego appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday as proceedings for his extradition to face charges in the US began.
Locals in Maenan, alerted by the presence of armed police and a drone hovering overhead, did not suspect they were witnessing an international attack.
‘When I saw on the news that a fugitive had been arrested in North Wales I recognized him straight away,’ the neighbor told MailOnline.
‘I couldn’t believe it: we were living so close to someone who had been on the run from the FBI for 20 years.
‘It’s no wonder he never told us anything about his background.
‘We just exchanged a few words as we passed him while walking the dog, he never introduced himself.
‘One thing I always noticed was that there was always a lot of discarded vegan food packaging around his bins – which all makes perfect sense now.’
The suspected terrorist was found at a rural property near woodland in the Conwy area
Daniel Andreas San Diego, 46, (pictured) was one of the FBI’s “most wanted terrorists” after two bombings in the San Francisco area in August 2003
Daniel Andreas San Diego, pictured at top over the years, next to various computer modifications showing what he could potentially look like
Counterterrorism Division Deputy Director Michael J. Heimbach announced that San Diego had been arrested
There were no signs of police investigation today at the house, which is set in well-maintained gardens and shielded from walkers by a popular footpath through bushes.
A large terrace would have allowed him to enjoy the extensive views of Snowdonia.
A large woodpile where ‘Danny’ – who apparently lived alone – was chopping logs is ready for the cold winter months.
His car – which has a reward from a visit to an RSPB reserve in the window – sits abandoned at the bottom of the driveway.
Yesterday, FBI Director Christopher Wray said, “There is a right way and a wrong way to express your opinion in our country, and turning to violence and destruction of property is not the right way.”
“The arrest of Daniel San Diego after more than 20 years… shows that no matter how long it takes, the FBI will find you and hold you accountable.”
A spokesperson for the NCA 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. from the American authorities.
‘He appeared before Westminster Magistrates Court today (November 26) as extradition proceedings began. He was taken into custody.”