US judge issues arrest warrant for Raúl Castro over 1996 shootdown

A Florida judge has issued an arrest warrant for former Cuban President Raúl Castro over the 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue aircraft. Cuban military jets shot down the civilian planes in the Florida Strait on February 24, 1996, killing four people.

The warrant stems from a state-level investigation in Florida into a first-degree murder conspiracy. State Attorney General James Uthmeier formally announced the arrest order on Monday.

“An arrest warrant is not a conviction, and the former leader's criminal responsibility must be determined through the corresponding judicial proceedings.”

Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan of Florida's Eleventh Judicial Circuit signed the warrant on Friday, October 16, citing sufficient evidence that Castro conspired to carry out the downing. Castro, now 95, served as Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces minister at the time of the attack.

The incident triggered a major diplomatic crisis and led the United States to tighten sanctions against Fidel Castro's government. An arrest warrant is not a conviction, and Castro's criminal responsibility will be determined through judicial proceedings.