Former Cuba President Raúl Castro was indicted by the U.S. Justice Department for the 1996 shootdown of two planes operated by Brothers to the Rescue, an incident that killed four people, including three Americans. The case includes charges of conspiracy to ki
Raúl Castro walked into another legal spotlight Wednesday—this time charged with murder for an incident the U.S. says took American lives 30 years ago.
The former dictator of Cuba was indicted by the United States Justice Department alongside five other Cuban nationals in connection with the February 24. 1996. shootdown of two planes operated by Brothers to the Rescue. a Miami-based nonprofit that rescues Cuban refugees. The crash killed four people: three Americans and one U.S. resident.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche framed the indictment as a long-delayed act of accountability. In a statement. he said. “The United States government has not forgotten these innocent men who were shot out of the sky. Nations and their leaders cannot be permitted to target Americans, kill them and not face accountability. President Trump has committed to restoring a very simple but important principle: if you kill Americans. we will pursue you no matter who you are. no matter what title you hold and in this case. no matter how much time has passed.”.
Along with Castro, the indictment names Lorenzo Alberto Perez-Perez, who was first charged more than two decades ago in connection with the 1996 catastrophe, and Luis Raul Gonzalez‑Pardo Rodriguez, among others.
Blanche also said there is currently a warrant out for Castro’s arrest, though the expectation is low that he would come to the U.S. Castro faces one count of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals and four individual counts of murder.
The charging move triggered an immediate response from Cuba’s leadership. On X (Twitter). current Cuban dictator Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez called the accusation “a political maneuver. devoid of any legal foundation.” In his post dated May 20. 2026. he wrote (in Spanish): “The purported accusation against Army General Raúl Castro Ruz. just announced by the U.S. government. only reveals the arrogance and frustration that the representatives of the empire feel toward the unyielding resolve of the Cuban Revolution and the unity and moral strength of its leadership. This is a political maneuver. devoid of any legal foundation. aimed solely at padding the fabricated dossier they use to justify the folly of a military aggression against #Cuba.”.
The two planes were shot down by a Cuban MiG-29 fighter jet. and the case now turns on what the U.S. says it has never stopped pursuing: accountability, even decades later. Castro’s indictment ties together the U.S. position that the 1996 deaths were targeted American lives. the Justice Department’s decision to seek charges now. and Cuba’s insistence that the filing is driven by politics rather than law.
For Brothers to the Rescue and the families left with the consequences of that day in 1996. Wednesday’s announcement marks a new chapter. For Castro and the Cuban government. it marks another flashpoint in a dispute that stretches across generations—charged as murder on one side. dismissed as a political move on the other.
Raúl Castro murder charges Brothers to the Rescue MiG-29 1996 shootdown Todd Blanche Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez U.S. Justice Department Cuba