Florida Issues Arrest Warrant for Raúl Castro

Source reports published 19 Oct 2026, 10:00 am – 2:15 pm AEST

Florida authorities have issued an arrest warrant for former Cuban leader Raúl Castro on a charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder related to the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shootdown. This action follows a renewed investigation initiated by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.

What happened

• Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier secured a state arrest warrant for Raúl Castro, 95, on a charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder stemming from the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shootdown.
• The warrant, issued in Miami-Dade County, alleges that Castro and his regime’s foreign intelligence service planned to kill occupants of the unarmed civilian aircraft.
• The investigation, reopened by Uthmeier, centers on the deaths of Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario de la Peña, and Armando Alejandre Jr. in February 1996.
• According to the warrant, investigators allege that the Castro regime’s plan to shoot down Brothers to the Rescue aircraft and kill their occupants traveled through the chain of command, with Raúl Castro and his brother, Fidel Castro, as the final decision-makers.
• Raúl Castro stated in a recorded statement months after the incident that he ordered senior military leaders to shoot down the aircraft over international waters, preventing it from landing in Havana.
• State Attorney General James Uthmeier stated that the warrant was necessary to hold Castro accountable for the lives lost.
• The Cuban government has rejected the U.S. prosecution, maintaining that Brothers to the Rescue repeatedly violated Cuban airspace.
• The U.S. government, under President Donald Trump, has intensified pressure on the Cuban government, imposing sanctions and a de facto energy blockade to encourage regime change.
• The Trump administration issued a federal indictment targeting Castro for the 1996 plane downings, alongside the state-level charges.

Original reporting

• Fox News: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier secures state arrest warrant for Raúl Castro
  2026-10-19T04:15:33+00:00
• Al Jazeera: Florida issues arrest warrant for Cuban leader Raul Castro
  2026-10-19T00:00:00+00:00