Florida authorities have issued an arrest warrant for former Cuban President Raúl Castro, charging him with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in a 1996 shootdown that killed four members of a Miami-based exile group.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) said the warrant contains one state count. A judge ordered Castro held without bond if arrested.
The Florida charge is a separate state prosecution from a federal case unsealed May 20. The U.S. Department of Justice said the indictment named Castro and five others and contains one conspiracy count, two aircraft destruction counts and four murder counts.
The state complaint alleges Castro was a final decision-maker who authorized the shootdown. The complaint lists his positions at the time as Cuba’s First Vice President and Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces. The complaint also alleges Cuban Directorate of Intelligence agents infiltrated Brothers to the Rescue and sent flight plans to Havana.
Three planes left South Florida on Feb. 24, 1996. According to the state account, Cuban fighter jets shot down two over international waters, killing Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña and Pablo Morales.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said in a May 20 post that the federal indictment had no legal basis and accused Washington of using it to justify military aggression. FDLE said its inquiry continues and further charges remain possible.
