Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that a new arrest warrant has been issued for 95-year-old former Cuban leader Raul Castro. The warrant is reportedly based on charges related to the downing of two civilian aircraft over the Florida Straits on February 24, 1996, which resulted in the deaths of four people.
The victims of the incident were U.S. citizens Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre, and Mario de la Peña, as well as Pablo Morales, who held permanent resident status in the U.S. The aircraft belonged to Brothers to the Rescue, an initiative composed of Cuban migrants that conducted search and rescue operations for people in distress at sea.
According to CBS News, the U.S. side maintains that the Cuban Air Force shot down the aircraft in international waters. It was stated that another plane belonging to the Brothers to the Rescue group survived the attack, and its crew members witnessed the event.
HAVANA LABELS THE DECISION A POLITICAL MANEUVER
The Havana administration claims that the incident took place within Cuban airspace and that the military intervention was carried out on those grounds. In contrast, the International Civil Aviation Organization and the Organization of American States supported the Brothers to the Rescue side with their assessments that Cuba had violated international law.
Raul Castro, who was the Minister of Defense in the Fidel Castro government at the time of the incident, is pointed to by critics as one of those responsible for the operation. Raul Castro effectively took over the administration in 2006 due to his brother Fidel Castro's health problems, and later served as president and first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba.
It was reported that U.S. authorities prepared a formal indictment against Castro in May 2026 on charges of conspiracy to kill American citizens. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel described the accusation as a political maneuver lacking any legal basis.
News Source: 12punto
