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The U.S. Department of Justice filed federal criminal charges this Wednesday against former Cuban president Raúl Castro, 94 years old, according to a senior Trump administration official who confirmed the news to Reuters, in a historic escalation of Washington’s pressure on the Havana regime.
The announcement will take place at the Freedom Tower in Miami at 1:00 p.m. on May 20, Cuba's Independence Day, in an event that will include a tribute to the victims of the attack, nearly 30 years after the events.
The charges are related to the downing of two civilian planes from Hermanos al Rescate on February 24, 1996, when MiG-29 fighters from the Cuban Revolutionary Air Force destroyed two unarmed Cessna 337 Skymasters over international waters in the Florida Straits.
The four victims were Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales, whose bodies were never recovered.
A third small aircraft, piloted by José Basulto, founder of the organization, managed to escape the attack.
The participation in the event has been announced of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, federal prosecutor Jason A. Reding Quiñones, FBI Deputy Director Christopher G. Raia, Senator Ashley Moody, and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
The central evidence of the accusation is a recording of Raúl Castro from June 1996, published in 2006 by journalist Wilfredo Cancio in El Nuevo Herald, in which the then Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces describes the order he issued: "I said to try to bring them down over territory, but they would enter Havana and leave... Well, bring them down at sea when they appear; and do not consult those who have the authority."
The authenticity of the audio was verified by specialists and by Alcibíades Hidalgo, former personal secretary of Castro.
In addition, declassified FBI documents —over 10,000 pages— reveal the existence of an "Operation Venice," planned since February 13, 1996, which suggests premeditation of the attack.
Basulto has reacted with emotion to the accusation: "I have wished for this for a long time. I have wished for justice to be served, for justice to become a reality."
The accusation is framed within the maximum pressure policy of the Trump administration against the Cuban regime. The day before, the U.S. had imposed sanctions on 11 Cuban officials and three government entities linked to the security apparatus, including the DGI/G2, MININT, and PNR.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also offered 100 million dollars in humanitarian aid for Cuba, to be channeled through the Catholic Church and independent non-governmental organizations, an offer that Havana rejected.
The Cuban president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, described the sanctions as "immoral, illegal, and criminal," while the Cuban Embassy in the U.S. labeled the case as "fraud" and claimed more than 25 violations of Cuban airspace by Brothers to the Rescue between 1994 and 1996.
Despite the historical weight of the announcement, the accusation has primarily symbolic significance: Raúl Castro has never set foot on American soil, and there is no extradition treaty between Cuba and the U.S.
The process has recent precedents. The congressman Mario Díaz-Balart formally requested in February that the Department of Justice charge Castro with murder, arguing that the charge does not expire, and the Attorney General of Florida reopened a criminal investigation into the shooting down in March 2026.
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