Chicago – May 21, 2026
The United States has indicted former Cuban president Raúl Castro on charges including murder in connection with the 1996 downing of two civilian aircraft flown by the Miami‑based exile group Brothers to the Rescue, escalating President Trump’s pressure campaign against Havana.
Charges and context
The indictment, filed by federal prosecutors in Miami, accuses Castro, 94, of one count of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, four counts of murder, and two counts of aircraft destruction. The charges stem from a February 1996 incident in which Cuban MiG fighter jets shot down two unarmed planes over international waters, killing four people on board.
Other defendants and political fallout
The indictment also names five Cuban military pilots—Lt. Col. Lorenzo Alberto Pérez‑Pérez, José Fidel Gual Barzaga, Lt. Col. Luis Raúl González‑Pardo Rodríguez, Emilio José Palacio Blanco, and Raúl Simanca Cárdenas—who are charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals; Castro and Pérez‑Pérez face additional murder and aircraft‑destruction counts. Cuban officials have dismissed the case as a political maneuver, while analysts call it a striking escalation amid renewed U.S.–Cuba tensions.
