The United States is taking steps to pursue a federal indictment against Raúl Castro, the 94-year-old former president of Cuba and brother of the late Fidel Castro, according to U.S. officials with knowledge of the situation.
The potential charges center on his alleged role in ordering the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft operated by the Miami-based humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue, according to a report from CBS News.
The 1996 incident occurred on February 24, when Cuban MiG fighter jets shot down two unarmed Cessna aircraft flying in international airspace north of Cuba. The planes were part of Brothers to the Rescue, a nonprofit organization that conducted search-and-rescue missions for Cuban rafters attempting to reach the United States and dropped leaflets over Cuba.
Four people were killed in the attack, including Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales, all of whom were U.S. citizens. Armando Alejandre, a U.S. permanent resident, was also killed.
At the time, Raúl Castro served as Cuba’s minister of defense. Lawmakers and reports have cited evidence, including intercepted communications and later admissions by Cuban officials, linking the order to the highest levels of the Cuban military.
The U.S. is taking steps to indict Raúl Castro, the 94-year-old former president of Cuba and brother of Fidel, in connection with the downing of planes 30 years ago, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter. https://t.co/OqeBa8WFAt pic.twitter.com/bLMQYNlzvp
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 14, 2026
This past February, four Republican members of Congress penned a letter to President Donald Trump and then-U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi urging the Department of Justice to reopen its criminal investigation into the shootdown and to consider indicting Raúl Castro. The letter described the event as a “regime-sponsored military operation” and requested consideration of Interpol red notices to facilitate potential arrest. The request coincided with the approach of the incident’s 30th anniversary.
In March 2026, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that his office had reactivated a previously dormant state-level criminal investigation into Raúl Castro’s role in the shootdown. The probe, originally initiated several years earlier, had been paused during the Biden administration.
Uthmeier stated that the investigation would continue, noting interest from Florida legislators and the public in accountability for crimes potentially affecting Florida residents.
At the federal level, Jason Reding Quiñones, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, established a working group several months ago involving federal prosecutors, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Treasury Department, and other agencies. The group is examining possible charges against Cuban government officials and Communist Party figures for a range of alleged offenses, including violent crimes, drug trafficking, economic crimes, and immigration violations.
While the working group’s scope is broader than the 1996 shootdown, the incident is a focal point in discussions about Raúl Castro.
Previous legal actions related to the shootdown include a 2003 federal indictment against two Cuban fighter pilots and their commanding officer, as well as the conviction of Gerardo Hernández, a Cuban spy, on conspiracy to commit murder charges (he was later released in a prisoner exchange). Cuba has maintained that the aircraft entered its airspace and posed a threat, a claim rejected by U.S. authorities and an International Civil Aviation Organization investigation.
Raúl Castro formally stepped down as first secretary of Cuba’s Communist Party in 2021 but continues to exert influence behind the scenes. His grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, has reportedly served as a channel for communications between U.S. and Cuban officials.
The current developments occur amid broader U.S. efforts to pressure the Cuban government. The Trump administration has imposed economic measures, including threats of tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba, which has led to crippling fuel shortages on the island.
President Trump has publicly discussed the possibility of a “friendly takeover” and demanded fundamental reforms in Cuba’s leadership and policies, though an agreement has not yet been reached.
