Sandro Castro, the grandson of Fidel Castro, reacted with his characteristic mocking tone to the formal accusation presented by the U.S. Department of Justice against Raúl Castro for the downing of the planes belonging to Brothers to the Rescue in 1996, with a short video posted on social media.
"Good morning, informational note. Does anyone know the shift change for the taparraos? This is going to catch fire like Hatuey. The stone," said Sandro Castro in the clip.
The video was published a day after the Department of Justice filed federal charges against Raúl Castro on May 20 at the Freedom Tower in Miami, during an event led by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
The indictment, approved by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida on April 23, includes seven counts: conspiracy to assassinate U.S. nationals, two counts of destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder for the deaths of Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales.
The Department of Justice maintains that the attack was premeditated and sanctioned by the Cuban state, and that Raúl Castro —then Minister of the Armed Forces— authorized and oversaw the chain of command that ordered the shooting down of the two civilian Cessna 337 planes over international waters in the Florida Strait.
Alongside the former dictator, five former Cuban military officers were also accused: Lorenzo Alberto Pérez-Pérez, Emilio José Palacio Blanco, José Fidel Gual Barzaga, Raúl Simanca Cárdenas, and Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez.
The maximum penalties include life imprisonment and even the death penalty for the most serious charges.
The case is primarily considered symbolic, as Raúl Castro has never set foot on American soil and there is no extradition treaty between Cuba and the United States, although Marco Rubio has already commented on the possible detention of the former dictator.
The regime's reaction was swift: Díaz-Canel raised the tone of his statements and the official apparatus turned workplaces into acts of repudiation, while China came to Raúl Castro's defense the day after the announcement.
Sandro Castro's reaction is consistent with the public persona he has built in recent months.
In March, in an interview with CNN International, Fidel Castro's grandson claimed that he was summoned by the Cuban State Security because of his satirical videos, and stated, "Most Cubans want capitalism, not communism."
In April, in an interview with NBC, Sandro Castro advocated for a profound change in Cuba and called for "more economic freedom, less bureaucracy, and a bit more democracy."
The shooting down of the aircraft of Brothers to the Rescue on February 24, 1996 is one of the most serious episodes in the relationship between Cuba and the United States, and for 30 years, it had no legal consequences for the Cuban perpetrators. The accusation in May 2026 represents the first formal attempt by the U.S. justice system to hold Raúl Castro criminally accountable for that crime.
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