Florida has issued a state arrest warrant without bail for 95-year-old Raúl Castro, accusing him of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder related to the 1996 downing of two Brothers to the Rescue planes. This development was reported by WSVN on Monday.
The warrant, authorized on October 16 by Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan, head of Florida's Eleventh Judicial Circuit, follows an investigation by the state's Department of Law Enforcement.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier publicly announced the order during a press conference at Florida International University (FIU) alongside Governor Ron DeSantis.
The document specifies that if Castro is apprehended outside Florida, state authorities are empowered to seek his full extradition.
The jurisdictional grounds for this warrant are based on the actions of two Cuban agents who infiltrated Brothers to the Rescue and operated in Miami and the Naval Air Station in Key West from 1995 to February 1996.
According to the affidavit, these spies provided Cuban authorities with information about the group's flights and monitored military facilities in Florida. The network instructed its infiltrators not to fly with the organization between February 24 and 27, 1996, and one agent left Florida on February 23—one day before the attack—to return to Cuba.
Authorities determined that these activities, conducted on Floridian soil, provide sufficient probable cause to establish state jurisdiction and assert that Castro orchestrated the conspiracy.
This legal action operates independently of a federal indictment issued by the Department of Justice on May 20, 2026, which charges Castro and five other former Cuban military officers with seven counts: four individual murders, two counts of aircraft destruction, and one of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens.
Since that date, Castro has been considered a fugitive from federal justice, having failed to appear before any court.
On February 24, 1996, Cuban Air Force MiG fighters shot down two Cessna 337 planes belonging to Brothers to the Rescue over international waters in the Florida Straits, resulting in the deaths of Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales. Their bodies were never recovered.
Key evidence against Castro includes a 1996 audio recording released in 2006, where the then-Minister of the Armed Forces gives the shoot-down order in his own words: "Shoot them down in the sea when they show up; and don't consult those with the authority."
The only individual currently in U.S. custody is Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez, a former Cuban Air Force lieutenant colonel, who was extradited to Miami in June 2026 and pleaded not guilty on June 23.
The lack of an extradition treaty between Cuba and the United States currently prevents the execution of either order while Castro remains on the island. However, the Trump administration has indicated that unconventional methods to bring him to justice have not been ruled out.
Families of the victims reacted to the announcement with restrained relief. "Justice has been served. Not entirely, but it's some form of justice," one family member stated. Another added, "My father fought for a free Cuba. That was the most important thing to him. It was all that mattered."
Raúl Castro Extradition and Legal Proceedings
Why is Florida seeking Raúl Castro's extradition?
Florida is pursuing Raúl Castro's extradition due to an arrest warrant accusing him of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder related to the 1996 downing of two Brothers to the Rescue planes.
What evidence links Raúl Castro to the 1996 shoot-down incident?
The key evidence includes a 1996 audio recording where Castro, as Minister of the Armed Forces, orders the shoot-down of the planes in his own words.
What challenges exist in extraditing Raúl Castro?
A major challenge is the absence of an extradition treaty between Cuba and the United States, complicating the legal process while Castro remains in Cuba.
Who are the other individuals charged alongside Raúl Castro?
Castro and five other former Cuban military officers are charged with multiple counts, including murder and conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens.