Castro, 94, and five others charged with murder and conspiracy in connection with the downing of two civilian aircraft operated by an exile humanitarian group.
2:33 PM
A U.S. federal grand jury has indicted former Cuban President Raúl Castro, 94, on charges stemming from the 1996 downing of two civilian planes operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
Castro was charged with one count of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, four counts of murder and two counts of destruction of aircraft, according to court filings. The indictment was filed in the Southern District of Florida on April 23 and unsealed Wednesday. Five other defendants were also charged in the case: Emilio José Palacio Blanco, José Fidel Gual Barzaga, Raúl Simanca Cardenas, Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez and Lorenzo Alberto Pérez-Pérez. Some of the defendants were pilots or wingmen of Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets that fired the deadly missiles.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the indictment at Miami's Freedom Tower, a historical site that has served as a symbol of refuge for Cubans who escaped the Castro regime. Blanche stated that the charges represent the first time in nearly 70 years that senior leadership of the Cuban regime has been charged in the United States for acts of violence.
The charges relate to the February 24, 1996 incident in which Cuban Air Force fighter jets shot down two civilian aircraft in international airspace. Four people were killed in the attack: three Cuban-American citizens and one Cuban legal resident of the United States. The planes were operated by Brothers to the Rescue, a humanitarian organization based in Florida.
At the time of the incident, Castro served as Cuba's defense minister. The Justice Department alleges that Castro played a leading role in the decision to have Cuban fighter jets shoot down the two civilian aircraft.
Castro served as president of Cuba from 2008 to 2018 and as the top official of the country's Communist Party from 2011 to 2021. He is the brother of the late Fidel Castro, who led Cuba for nearly half a century. Castro last appeared in public in Cuba in early May and there is no evidence that he has left the island since then or that the Cuban government would permit his extradition.
The Cuban government has not directly commented on the criminal proceedings against Castro. The indictment marks an escalation in the Trump administration's pressure campaign against the Cuban government.
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