Federal prosecutors in the United States have announced criminal charges against former Cuban president Raul Castro over the 1996 downing of two civilian aircraft operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue. The charges, unveiled in Miami on Wednesday, accuse Castro of murder and destruction of an aircraft in connection with the incident that killed four people, including three US citizens.

According to US officials, Castro, who served as Cuba’s defence minister at the time, allegedly played a key role in the operation that resulted in Cuban fighter jets shooting down two unarmed Cessna planes near Cuban airspace on February 24, 1996. The planes belonged to Brothers to the Rescue, a group founded by Cuban exiles that conducted humanitarian missions and flights aimed at assisting people fleeing Cuba.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the indictment was intended to deliver long-awaited justice for the victims’ families. “For nearly 30 years, the families of four murdered Americans have waited for justice,” Blanche said during a ceremony honouring those killed in the attack. US authorities also confirmed that an arrest warrant had been issued for the 94-year-old former Cuban leader.

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Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel strongly condemned the indictment, calling it politically motivated and lacking legal basis. In a statement posted on X, Diaz-Canel said Cuba acted in “legitimate self-defence” after repeated violations of its airspace by the exile group. Cuban officials have long maintained that the flights posed a threat to national security and that US authorities had ignored repeated warnings about the operations.

The case has resurfaced amid heightened tensions between Washington and Havana under President Donald Trump’s administration. US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have increased pressure on Cuba while calling for political and economic reforms on the island. Analysts say the indictment could serve as a diplomatic pressure point even if Castro never appears in a US courtroom.

The 1996 shootdown significantly worsened relations between the United States and Cuba and led to tougher American sanctions against Havana. Investigators and former prosecutors involved in the case have argued for years that senior Cuban officials were directly responsible for the operation. While several Cuban military and intelligence figures were previously indicted, Raul Castro himself had avoided prosecution until now.

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