Miami issues arrest warrant for Raúl Castro over Brothers to the Rescue case

A Miami judge signed a state arrest warrant against former Cuban president Raúl Castro for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, according to the outlet El Pitazo, which reported the news on Monday, October 20. The measure stems from the 1996 shootdown of two light aircraft belonging to the humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue, an attack carried out by military fighter jets when Castro served as minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba.

The court decision was announced by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who said the investigation was reopened last year after three decades of impunity. According to the newspaper El Nacional, the state charges are in addition to the formal accusations previously brought by U.S. federal justice over the deaths of four crew members in the incident.

The attack took place on February 24, 1996, when two civilian aircraft belonging to the Miami-based organization were destroyed with air-to-air missiles while conducting search and rescue operations for migrants at sea. According to information published by AlbertoNews, the Florida prosecution argued that the planes were outside Cuban airspace when they were shot down by military aircraft of the regime.

The legal process unfolds amid mounting pressure from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on the Cuban government. The tougher sanctions coincide with the deep economic and social crisis that the Caribbean island has been experiencing for several years.

Florida's judicial authorities will continue to monitor the state and federal charges related to the conspiracy and the destruction of civilian aircraft, a case that sets a precedent in holding individuals accountable for crimes committed outside the country.