WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Monday that state prosecutors and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) have secured an arrest warrant for former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, accusing him of conspiring to murder four men in the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft operated by the anti-Castro group Brothers to the Rescue.
According to the Attorney General's Office, Castro has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in connection with an incident in which Cuban military fighter jets shot down two unarmed Brothers to the Rescue planes over international waters.
Authorities said three unarmed Cessna aircraft departed Opa-locka Airport in Miami-Dade County on Feb. 24, 1996. After crossing the 24th parallel and flying outside Cuba's territorial waters, two of the planes were destroyed by air-to-air missiles fired by Cuban MiG fighter jets.
According to the affidavit, the aircraft were traveling away from Cuba at the time and received no warning before being shot down.
The warrant, obtained by the Office of Statewide Prosecution and FDLE, alleges Castro played a key role in authorizing the attack that killed four men with ties to Florida: Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario de la Peña and Armando Alejandre Jr.
"Raúl Castro ordered the murder of four Floridians in cold blood, and Florida will never stop pursuing accountability for that communist conspiracy," Uthmeier said in a statement.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Castro, who at the time served as Cuba's minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and first vice president, was among the final decision-makers who authorized the operation. Investigators allege Castro issued standing orders to military leaders to shoot down aircraft associated with Brothers to the Rescue if they appeared over the sea.
State investigators also allege Cuban intelligence agents operating in South Florida infiltrated Brothers to the Rescue and provided flight information to the Cuban government as part of what was known as "Operation Scorpion."
Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz called the warrant a "historic step toward accountability" for the four men killed in the attack, while FDLE Special Agent in Charge Michael Stein said the case demonstrates that "the passage of time does not diminish the pursuit of justice."
The warrant charges Castro under Florida statutes governing conspiracy and first-degree murder. Prosecutors said the offense is a first-degree felony, and the court ordered that no bond be granted.
State officials said the investigation remains active and additional charges could be filed.
