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U.S. President Donald Trump celebrated on Wednesday the formal charges filed against Raúl Castro for the downing of the planes from Brothers to the Rescue, referring to the announcement as "a very great day" and "very important" for the Cuban American community.
"The Cuban population in Miami, and certainly beyond Miami, people who arrived there devastated, whose families were ruined, appreciate what the Attorney General just did today," declared Trump to reporters.
The leader also assured that Cuba occupies a priority place on his administration's agenda and emphasized the political support received from the Cuban exile community. "They supported me at the highest level, they supported me in ways that no one has seen before," he stated.
Trump also issued an official statement in which he delivered a direct warning to the Cuban regime: "The United States will not tolerate a rogue state hosting military, intelligence, and terrorist operations hostile to just ninety miles from U.S. territory."
The announcement of the charges was made by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche at the Tower of Freedom in Miami, a historical symbol of the Cuban exile, on May 20th, a date that commemorates Cuba's Independence Day.
"For the first time in nearly 70 years, the upper leadership of the Cuban regime has been accused," said Blanche, who summed up the U.S. government's stance with another strong statement: "If you kill Americans, we will pursue you."
The formal accusation against Raúl Castro includes charges of conspiracy to assassinate U.S. citizens, destruction of aircraft, and four individual counts of murder. The indictment was issued by a federal grand jury in Miami on April 23, 2026, and was declassified this Wednesday.
Alongside Castro, five Cuban military personnel were accused: Lorenzo Alberto Pérez-Pérez, Emilio José Palacio Blanco, José Fidel Gual Barzaga, Raúl Simanca Cárdenas, and Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez.
The events date back to February 24, 1996, when MiG-29 fighter jets from the Cuban Revolutionary Air Force shot down two unarmed Cessna planes belonging to the organization Brothers to the Rescue over international waters of the Florida Straits.
The attack resulted in the deaths of Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario Manuel de la Peña, and Pablo Morales. Their bodies were never recovered.
The central piece of the accusation is a recording from June 1996 in which Raúl Castro describes the order he gave to carry out the shootdown. "Well, take them down over the sea when they show up; and don't consult those who have the authority," the then Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces can be heard saying.
Reactions within the Cuban-American community did not take long to arrive. Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar stated: "Today marks the end of the Castro family".
José Basulto, founder of Brothers to the Rescue and survivor of the attack, expressed with emotion: "I have wished for this for a long time. I have wished for justice to be served, for justice to become a reality."
The Cuban regime rejected the accusations. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez labeled Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a "spokesperson for corrupt and vindictive interests," while the Cuban Embassy in the United States described the judicial process as a "deception".
Despite the significant political and historical impact of the announcement, the practical reach of the accusation remains limited. Raúl Castro, 94 years old, has never set foot on U.S. territory, and there is no extradition treaty between Cuba and the United States.
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