Florida Issues Arrest Warrant for Raúl Castro Over 1996 Shootdown of Civilian Planes

Raúl Castro, former Cuban leader

Florida has issued a state arrest warrant for former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, charging him with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder over the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft that killed four men.

The warrant, signed by Chief Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit and announced by Attorney General James Uthmeier on October 19, accuses Castro of being a final decision-maker in the chain of command that authorised the attack. On February 24, 1996, Cuban fighter jets shot down two unarmed Cessna planes operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue over international waters. Four men were killed: Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario de la Peña and Armando Alejandre Jr.

Investigators say Castro-era intelligence agents operating inside Florida infiltrated the humanitarian group and fed flight information to Havana before the attack. "Raúl Castro ordered the murder of four Floridians in cold blood," Uthmeier said, adding that Florida would never stop pursuing accountability. The state-level action follows a federal indictment announced in May against Castro and five former Cuban military officials over the same incident. Castro, 95, is believed to be living in Havana and has not been taken into custody.

Source: read more

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Fairbairn's Walk-Off Field Goal Seals Wembley Thriller as Texans Edge Jaguars 34-31

Anthropic IPO: Public S-1 Filing Expected Today Ahead of $2 Trillion Listing

Netflix Beats Earnings but Slashes Ad Forecast — Stock Tumbles After Hours