Florida state prosecutors and law enforcement have secured an arrest warrant for Raúl Castro, charging the 95-year-old former Cuban leader with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in connection with the 1996 downing of two unarmed humanitarian aircraft over international waters.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the warrant, noting that a judge has ordered no bond in the case. “Raul Castro ordered the murder of four Floridians in cold blood, and Florida will never stop pursuing accountability for that communist conspiracy,” Uthmeier said.
The February 24, 1996, incident resulted in the deaths of four men associated with the Miami-based group Brothers to the Rescue: Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario de la Peña, and Armando Alejandre Jr. According to the state affidavit, three unarmed Cessna aircraft took off that day from Miami Opa-Locka Executive Airport. After crossing the 24th parallel well outside Cuban waters, Cuban MiG fighter jets destroyed two of the planes using air-to-air missiles.
Prosecutors stated that both aircraft were flying away from Cuba and received no warnings, despite maintaining contact with Havana air traffic control. At the time of the attack, Castro served as Cuba’s armed forces minister and first vice president. Investigators allege he operated as a final decision-maker in the chain of command, issuing a standing order to shoot down the planes at sea without requiring subordinate commanders to consult higher authorities.
The affidavit further details that the conspiracy extended into South Florida through Cuban intelligence operatives belonging to the Wasp Network. Operating within Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, these spies allegedly infiltrated Brothers to the Rescue, transmitted flight plans to Havana, and supported a scheme designated as Operation Scorpion. Because the espionage activities spanned both Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, the Office of Statewide Prosecution is handling the matter as a multi-circuit organized criminal conspiracy, with officials indicating that additional charges remain possible. Chief Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit signed the warrant.
The state-level action supplements an existing federal indictment brought earlier this year by the U.S. Justice Department in Miami. Washington has maintained its desire to bring Castro before a court, fueling international speculation regarding potential enforcement operations.
Castro’s decades-long history in Cuban leadership began alongside his brother Fidel in the 1953 Moncada Barracks attack and the subsequent 1956 Granma expedition. Following the 1959 revolution, he directed summary trials and firing squads in Oriente province and managed the island’s military apparatus from 1959 until 2008. He assumed presidential duties from Fidel in 2006, formally transferred the presidency to Miguel Díaz-Canel in 2018, and stepped down as Communist Party leader in 2021, though political observers suggest he retains informal influence.
Historical documentation compiled by groups such as Cuba Archive estimates thousands of firing-squad executions, extrajudicial killings, and prison deaths under the Castro regime, alongside tens of thousands of deaths among individuals attempting to flee the island by sea. Recently, reports regarding Castro’s health have indicated decline; he missed a major revolution commemoration in July and reportedly suffered a stroke in September, though he subsequently appeared at a military event looking frail.
