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[INTERNATIONAL] · United States, Cuba · 100 sources

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Raúl Castro faces Florida arrest warrant over 1996 plane shootdown

A Florida judge has issued a state arrest warrant for 95-year-old former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, charging him with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. The warrant, signed by Miami-Dade Circuit Chief Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan, relates to the February 24, 1996, shootdown of two unarmed civilian aircraft operated by the Miami-based humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier stated that the attack resulted in the deaths of four people: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales. Investigators allege that Cuban intelligence agents infiltrated the organization to transmit flight information to Havana, facilitating the attack by Cuban MiG fighter jets. While Cuba has historically claimed the aircraft violated its airspace, the International Civil Aviation Organization concluded the planes were in international waters at the time of the incident.

This state-level action follows a federal indictment issued against Castro in May 2026. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemned the warrant, describing it as a 'pathetic Miami circus' and a political maneuver. The legal proceedings come amid heightened tensions and increased economic pressure from the United States administration toward the Cuban government.

Entities

Ariana Fajardo Orshan · Brothers to the Rescue · Florida · Florida Department of Law Enforcement · Hermanos al Rescate · James Uthmeier · Miguel Díaz-Canel · Raúl Castro · Ron DeSantis

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Sources

Noticiero de Radio Martí 12:00 PM [www.martinoticias.com]