Raúl Castro indicted for 1996 shoot-down of American pilots
Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., examines the indictment of former Cuban President Raúl Castro on murder and conspiracy charges linked to the 1996 shoot-down of two civilian aircraft that killed four American pilots on ‘Sunday Night in America.’
Florida has secured a state arrest warrant for former Cuban leader Raúl Castro on a no-bond charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in connection with the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shootdown, according to a warrant obtained by News Media.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, whose office reopened the state investigation after he took office, is expected to unveil the warrant with Gov. Ron DeSantis during a Monday morning press conference.
Issued in Miami-Dade County, the no-bond warrant orders law enforcement to arrest Castro immediately. It states that a judge found probable cause to believe he conspired to commit first-degree murder in the deaths of four men aboard unarmed civilian aircraft.
The warrant opens a new legal front in the longstanding effort to hold Castro accountable for the Feb. 24, 1996, attack, an incident that continues to resonate throughout South Florida’s Cuban-American community. Castro is also facing a separate federal prosecution related to the shootdown.
Florida has obtained a state arrest warrant for former Cuban leader Raúl Castro on a no-bond charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
“The investigation revealed evidence of a conspiracy to kill persons aboard BTTR aircraft. The deaths of Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario de la Peña, and Armando Alejandre Jr. were the object of that conspiracy,” the warrant states.
Investigators allege that the 1996 plan by the Castro regime’s foreign intelligence service to shoot down Brothers to the Rescue aircraft and kill those aboard moved through the chain of command. According to the warrant, Raúl Castro and his brother, former Cuban leader Fidel Castro, were the ultimate decision-makers.
Raúl and Fidel Castro attend a parade Dec. 2, 1996, in Havana, Cuba. (Sven Creutzmann/Mambo Photography/Getty Images)
In a recorded statement made months after the incident, Raúl Castro, now 95, described orders he said he had given to senior military officials before the shootdown, according to the warrant. “They have violated the airspace, the waters of the Republic. I made it clear that this had to be decentralized if we wanted it to do its job, and five generals were given the authority. I used to say: Try to shoot them down over our territory. But they would come into Havana and leave,” he said.
“Of course, with a missile shot like that, plane against plane, what comes down is a ball of fire, and it is going to fall on top of the city. So I said: Fine, shoot them down at sea when they show up, and those who have the authority are not to consult anyone,” he added.
RAÚL CASTRO MAKES FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE SINCE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CHARGED HIM WITH MURDER
The attorney general’s Office of Statewide Prosecution will take jurisdiction over the multi-circuit criminal conspiracy case against Raúl Castro. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Based in Miami, Brothers to the Rescue operated unarmed civilian aircraft to search for Cuban migrants who were stranded or missing at sea. By the mid-1990s, the organization had also taken on an anti-Castro political role, including dropping pro-democracy leaflets over Cuba.
The Cuban government has denounced the U.S. prosecution of Castro, arguing that Brothers to the Rescue repeatedly entered Cuban airspace and that Cuba was acting to defend its sovereignty.
The warrant states that Florida authorities will seek Raúl Castro’s full extradition if he is arrested outside the state. It authorizes officials to pursue his return to Florida to face the felony charge if he is taken into custody in another U.S. jurisdiction.
Florida’s Office of Statewide Prosecution will assume jurisdiction over the multi-circuit criminal conspiracy case against Castro.