On May 20, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed a federal indictment charging 94-year-old Raúl Castro, Cuba’s former president and brother of Fidel Castro, with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, four counts of murder, and two counts of destruction of aircraft.
The charges stem from the February 24, 1996, incident in which Cuban MiG fighter jets shot down two unarmed civilian planes operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue (Hermanos al Rescate) over international waters. The group had been searching for Cuban rafters fleeing the communist regime. The attack killed four men—Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales—including three U.S. citizens and one U.S. resident. A third plane escaped.
At the time, Raúl Castro served as Cuba’s Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and, according to prosecutors, participated in the conspiracy that led to the shootdown. The 20-page superseding indictment, filed in Miami federal court on April 23 and unsealed Wednesday, also names five Cuban military pilots and officials as co-defendants.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the charges at a ceremony in Miami’s Freedom Tower, a site symbolic for Cuban exiles. The move represents a major escalation in the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against Cuba’s government, which it views as a national security threat. Cuban-American leaders and families of the victims hailed the indictment as long-overdue justice after three decades.
Cuba’s government immediately condemned the action as a “political maneuver” designed to justify further aggression. President Miguel Díaz-Canel and officials in Havana dismissed the charges, while state media portrayed the 1996 incident as a defense of Cuban sovereignty.
Raúl Castro, who remains in Cuba and appeared publicly as recently as early May, is not expected to face extradition. U.S. officials acknowledge the symbolic nature of the indictment but say it holds the Castro regime accountable for what they describe as the murder of civilians.
The case revives a decades-old grievance for South Florida’s Cuban exile community and underscores persistent tensions between Washington and Havana. Whether it leads to further diplomatic or economic consequences remains to be seen.
SOURCES:
Office of Public Affairs | United States Unseals Superseding Indictment Charging Raul Castro and Five Castro Regime Co-Defendants for 1996 Shoot-Down of Brothers to the Rescue Aircraft | United States Department of Justice
US charges Raúl Castro with murder as Trump escalates pressure on Cuba | Reuters
US charges former Cuban president Raúl Castro over 1996 downing of planes
U.S. indicts Cuba’s Raúl Castro on murder and conspiracy charges for downing of planes in 1996 – CBS News
Watch: How Cuban-Americans feel about Raúl Castro’s indictment
This is how Cuba reacted to the US indictment of Raúl Castro – YouTube
US indicts former Cuban president Raúl Castro as it seeks to oust regime | Raúl Castro | The Guardian
