Florida authorities have secured a Miami-Dade County arrest warrant charging former Cuban leader Raúl Castro with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in connection with the 1996 shootdown of a civilian aircraft, according to the warrant obtained by Fox News Digital. The warrant orders law enforcement to arrest Castro without bond. A judge found probable cause for the charge, which remains an allegation rather than a finding of guilt.
The case concerns the Feb. 24, 1996, deaths of four men aboard aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue: Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario de la Peña and Armando Alejandre Jr. The Miami-based organization flew unarmed civilian planes to search for Cuban migrants who were missing or stranded at sea. By the mid-1990s, it had also taken part in anti-Castro political activity, including distributing pro-democracy leaflets over Cuba.
The warrant says investigators found evidence of a conspiracy to kill people aboard the group’s aircraft. It alleges that a plan by the Cuban regime’s foreign intelligence service moved through the chain of command, with Raúl Castro and his brother, then-leader Fidel Castro, identified as the final decision-makers.
In a recorded statement made months after the incident, Raúl Castro described instructions he said he had given military leaders before the shootdown. As recounted in the warrant, he said five generals had authority to act and described directing that aircraft be shot down at sea rather than over Havana. The warrant presents that statement as part of the investigators’ account; it does not establish the charge in court.
Cuba has rejected the U.S. prosecution, arguing that Brothers to the Rescue repeatedly violated Cuban airspace and that the country acted to defend its sovereignty. The supplied material does not include a response from Raúl Castro to the Florida warrant.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s office reopened the state investigation after he took office. Uthmeier was expected to discuss the warrant with Gov. Ron DeSantis at a Monday morning press conference, according to the report. The state’s Office of Statewide Prosecution is to take jurisdiction over the multi-circuit conspiracy case.
The warrant authorizes Florida authorities to seek Castro’s return to the state if he is arrested in another U.S. jurisdiction. The report also says Castro faces a separate federal prosecution over the 1996 shootdown. It does not provide further details about that federal case or indicate that Castro is in U.S. custody.
