Raul Castro Faces New Arrest Warrant Over Deadly 1996 Shootdown
(MENAFN) A Miami judge has issued an arrest warrant for former Cuban President Raul Castro, 95, over the 1996 downing of two civilian aircraft that killed four people, including three US citizens, marking a new development in a case that has remained unresolved for three decades.
The warrant accuses Castro of conspiring with Cuban intelligence operatives to commit first-degree murder. It was signed on Friday following an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, according to court documents obtained by two Florida newspapers.
The affidavit supporting the warrant argues that Florida has jurisdiction to prosecute Castro because two Cuban spies allegedly infiltrated the Brothers to the Rescue organization in Miami and Key West. The informants reportedly provided Cuban authorities with flight details before the aircraft were shot down.
Brothers to the Rescue is a Florida-based nonprofit established by Cuban exiles who oppose the Cuban government.
According to the affidavit, the intelligence network directed its informants to avoid flying with the group between Feb. 24 and Feb. 27, 1996. One informant reportedly departed Florida and returned to Cuba on Feb. 23, just one day before the incident.
“(There is) probable cause to believe the defendant, Raul Modesto Castro Ruz, agreed with others to commit first-degree murder of ... persons aboard (the Brothers to the Rescue) aircraft,” the affidavit reads.
On Feb. 24, 1996, Cuban fighter jets intercepted and shot down two small aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue, killing all four people aboard.
The Cuban government maintained that the planes had entered its airspace and defended the action as self-defense. The United States, however, said the aircraft were flying over international waters. The International Civil Aviation Organization later supported the US position, concluding that the incident took place outside Cuban airspace.
Investigators cited in the affidavit pointed to evidence suggesting a conspiracy had been coordinated in Florida, including the alleged sharing of flight information by spies and surveillance of a naval air station.
The latest warrant follows a move by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who announced a state-level criminal investigation into Castro’s alleged role in the incident in March.
It is the second arrest warrant issued against Castro in connection with the shootdown. In May, the US Justice Department also charged him with murder and conspiracy to kill.
The state-level action adds a new chapter to a case that has prompted calls for prosecution for decades. The 30th anniversary of the deadly incident falls this year.
Uthmeier is expected to announce the warrant at a news conference in Miami on Monday.
Raul Castro is the younger brother of late Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who governed the island nation for nearly five decades before dying in 2016. Raul served as Cuba’s president from 2008 to 2018, taking over after Fidel temporarily transferred power to him in 2006 because of a serious illness.
The warrant accuses Castro of conspiring with Cuban intelligence operatives to commit first-degree murder. It was signed on Friday following an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, according to court documents obtained by two Florida newspapers.
The affidavit supporting the warrant argues that Florida has jurisdiction to prosecute Castro because two Cuban spies allegedly infiltrated the Brothers to the Rescue organization in Miami and Key West. The informants reportedly provided Cuban authorities with flight details before the aircraft were shot down.
Brothers to the Rescue is a Florida-based nonprofit established by Cuban exiles who oppose the Cuban government.
According to the affidavit, the intelligence network directed its informants to avoid flying with the group between Feb. 24 and Feb. 27, 1996. One informant reportedly departed Florida and returned to Cuba on Feb. 23, just one day before the incident.
“(There is) probable cause to believe the defendant, Raul Modesto Castro Ruz, agreed with others to commit first-degree murder of ... persons aboard (the Brothers to the Rescue) aircraft,” the affidavit reads.
On Feb. 24, 1996, Cuban fighter jets intercepted and shot down two small aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue, killing all four people aboard.
The Cuban government maintained that the planes had entered its airspace and defended the action as self-defense. The United States, however, said the aircraft were flying over international waters. The International Civil Aviation Organization later supported the US position, concluding that the incident took place outside Cuban airspace.
Investigators cited in the affidavit pointed to evidence suggesting a conspiracy had been coordinated in Florida, including the alleged sharing of flight information by spies and surveillance of a naval air station.
The latest warrant follows a move by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who announced a state-level criminal investigation into Castro’s alleged role in the incident in March.
It is the second arrest warrant issued against Castro in connection with the shootdown. In May, the US Justice Department also charged him with murder and conspiracy to kill.
The state-level action adds a new chapter to a case that has prompted calls for prosecution for decades. The 30th anniversary of the deadly incident falls this year.
Uthmeier is expected to announce the warrant at a news conference in Miami on Monday.
Raul Castro is the younger brother of late Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who governed the island nation for nearly five decades before dying in 2016. Raul served as Cuba’s president from 2008 to 2018, taking over after Fidel temporarily transferred power to him in 2006 because of a serious illness.
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