In a recent U.S. indictment, former Cuban leader Raúl Castro faces charges of murder and other offenses linked to the 1996 shooting down of two civilian aircraft operated by Miami-based exiles near the Caribbean island. These planes were part of a mission by Brothers to the Rescue, a group that supported Cuban exiles.
This indictment emerges amidst escalating diplomatic tensions as the Trump administration intensifies pressure on Cuba’s socialist regime, urging it to open its economy to American investments and distance itself from U.S. adversaries. Meanwhile, a U.S.-imposed blockade has severely impacted the island, leading to energy blackouts, food scarcities, and a significant economic downturn.
At the time of the incident, Castro, now 94, held the position of Cuba’s defense minister. The planes, which were unarmed and meant to spread anti-government messages over Havana, were intercepted and destroyed by Russian-made fighter jets, resulting in the deaths of all four men aboard.
Here’s a closer look at Castro’s indictment and the events surrounding the 1996 incident.
What are the details of the indictment?
The indictment claims that Raúl Castro authorized the use of lethal force against Brothers to the Rescue. This decision allegedly came after the group flew planes over Cuba in January 1996, disseminating leaflets advocating for democratic change. U.S. prosecutors argue that both Raúl and his brother Fidel Castro, who was the president then, were pivotal in the decision-making process leading to the downing of the planes.
In February 1996, Raúl Castro ordered Cuban military officials to begin training, using MiG fighter jets from Russia, on finding, tracking and intercepting the group’s small planes off the island’s coast, the indictment says. The two planes were shot down on Feb. 24, killing four U.S. nationals, including three U.S. citizens. A third plane managed to escape.
Castro and five other people, including MiG pilots, were charged in the indictment. Castro is accused of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals and multiple counts of murder and destruction of aircraft. The murder and conspiracy charges carry a maximum punishment of the death penalty or life in prison upon conviction, but it’s unclear whether Castro will ever set foot in a U.S. courtroom.
Will Castro ever face the charges in U.S.?
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, who announced the indictment Wednesday in Miami, said he expected Castro to appear in the U.S. for prosecution, either by “his own will or by another way.”
Blanche said the federal government often indicts people who are outside the United States and uses a variety of methods to bring them to justice.
Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was indicted on drug-related charges before he and his wife were seized by U.S. Special Forces in the Venezuelan capital in January.
What happened in 1996?
At about 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 24, 1996, the three Brothers to the Rescue planes took off from an airport in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
Over international waters, outside of Cuban airspace, two of the three unarmed Cessna planes were shot down by the Cuban MiG pilots without any warning, U.S. prosecutors said. The MiG pilots then began following the third plane, which escaped being destroyed, authorities said.
A Cuban official, however, insisted at a United Nations Security Council meeting in late February 1996 that the two planes were violating Cuban airspace when they were shot down and one of the civilian pilots had ignored warnings to not enter that airspace, according to Security Council records. The official also alleged the U.S. took no effective measures to prevent such airspace violations by U.S. pilots, despite warnings from Cuba.
Brothers to the Rescue dates back to 1980, during the unexpected emigration of 125,000 Cubans to the United States. It aimed to help the Cuban refugees in the Florida straits by dropping supplies from small planes and alerting the U.S. Coast Guard during the monthslong crisis.
What has been the reaction to the indictment?
Cuba’s current president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, condemned the indictment against Castro and accused U.S. officials of lying about the 1996 shootdown of the planes. He called it “a political action without any legal basis, that only seeks to bolster the case they are fabricating to justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba.”
He wrote on X that the shootdown of the planes was “legitimate self-defense” after repeated and dangerous violations of Cuba’s airspace by “notorious terrorists.”
The Cuban government said in a statement that the Cuban people fully support Castro. “Homeland or Death, We Will Prevail,” the statement said.
Marlene Alejandre-Triana, whose father, Armando Alejandre Jr, was among those killed in the 1996 shootdown, called the charges “long overdue.” She said her father only wanted to bring freedom to his Cuban homeland.
The charges against Castro were also welcomed by members of the Cuban community in Miami.
“He’s a criminal,” said Peter Hernandez, whose family owns a fruit and vegetable market in the Little Havana neighborhood and whose parents moved from Cuba to South Florida before he was born. He added he would support the U.S. sending its military to arrest Castro.
Who is Raúl Castro?
Castro served as minister of the Cuban military during his brother Fidel Castro’s decades-long reign as president. He took over as president in 2006 while his brother was ailing and served until 2018, when he handed over power to Díaz-Canel, a trusted loyalist.
In 2008, Castro launched a series of reforms that expanded Cuba’s private sector and allowed citizens greater freedom to travel and access information. In 2014, he led historic talks with former U.S. President Barack Obama that resulted in the reopening of embassies and the re-establishment of diplomatic relations.
While he retired in 2021 as head of the Cuban Communist Party, he is widely believed to wield power behind the scenes.
