The Department of Justice of the United States is preparing a formal criminal indictment against Raúl Castro, 94 years old, former president of Cuba and former head of the Armed Forces, according to three sources familiar with the matter who confirmed to AP News.
The accusation focuses on the shooting down of two unarmed Cessna aircraft by MiG-29 fighters of the Cuban Air Force on February 24, 1996, belonging to the humanitarian organization Brothers to the Rescue over international waters, resulting in the deaths of four Cuban Americans: Armando Alejandre Jr. (45 years old), Carlos Costa (29), Mario de la Peña (24), and Pablo Morales (29). Their bodies were never recovered.
The International Civil Aviation Organization determined that the downings occurred between nine and ten nautical miles outside of Cuban territorial airspace, in violation of international law.
At that time, Fidel Castro was the leader of the country, and Raúl was at the helm of the Armed Forces. A recording released in 2006 by journalist Wilfredo Cancio Isla captures Raúl Castro himself stating: "I said to try to take them down."
Declassified FBI documents also reveal the existence of "Operation Venice," planned since February 13, 1996, to take down the small aircraft. The pilots identified as direct agents, the twin brothers Lorenzo Alberto Pérez Pérez and Francisco Pérez Pérez, colonels in the Cuban Air Force, were charged in the U.S. but were never extradited.
The possible accusation is part of a escalation of legal and diplomatic pressure from the Trump administration on the Cuban regime. In November 2025, the DOJ arrested former Cuban pilot Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez, a 64-year-old retired colonel, accused of lying on immigration forms and concealing his military past related to the downing. In March 2026, the Florida Attorney General's Office reopened the criminal investigation into the case.
Senator Rick Scott had demanded in March 2026: "I want Raúl Castro to be prosecuted for his crimes, for killing Americans." Congress members Carlos Giménez, Mario Díaz-Balart, and María Elvira Salazar supported this request through a formal letter to the DOJ.
This Thursday, the director of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, traveled to Havana and met with Raul Castro's grandson, the Minister of the Interior, and the head of Cuban intelligence, conveying that the U.S. is willing to engage in dialogue only if Cuba makes "fundamental changes."
President Donald Trump, when asked today about a possible indictment aboard Air Force One during his return from a state visit to China, avoided confirming or denying the reports: "Well, I don't want to comment on that. I'll let the Department of Justice speak on it. But they need help, as you know."
He also added: "When we talk about a declining country, they truly are a nation, a country in decline. So we shall see. We have much to discuss about Cuba, but perhaps today is not the day."
The Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, reacted enthusiastically: "Let it roll, it's about time!"
Despite the high symbolic and political value of the measure, the practical obstacles are significant: Raúl Castro has never set foot on U.S. soil, he is 94 years old, and there is no extradition treaty between Cuba and the U.S. The charge, which still needs to be approved by a grand jury, would mainly serve as a tool for diplomatic pressure on the regime.
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