The Attorney General of Florida, James Uthmeier, stated this Monday that "there cannot be a future for Cuba that includes the Castros, period," during a press conference in Miami where he announced a state arrest warrant against Raúl Castro for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
The statement was made at the College of Law of Florida International University (FIU), in front of the families of the victims of the shooting down of the Brothers to the Rescue planes, which occurred on February 24, 1996.
"What happened was not an accident. It was a murder. The evidence makes it absolutely clear that there was a conspiracy," Uthmeier stated.
The order, signed on October 16 by Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, does not allow for bail and attributes to Castro participation in the conspiracy that resulted in the deaths of Carlos Costa (29 years old), Pablo Morales (29), Mario de la Peña (24), and Armando Alejandre Jr. (45). Their bodies were never recovered.
According to the sworn statement presented by the Prosecutor's Office, agents of the so-called Red Avispa, a Cuban espionage network operating in South Florida, infiltrated Hermanos al Rescate, gathered information about their flights, and transmitted it to Havana as part of the so-called Operation Scorpion.
Uthmeier also questioned the actions of federal authorities over the past three decades, believing they allowed the infiltration of the Cuban intelligence apparatus into the United States without taking strong enough action.
The prosecutor emphasized that state charges have a particularity in relation to the federal process: no U.S. president can grant a pardon for offenses judged under Florida law.
"One cannot forgive, cannot commute, cannot immunize these dictators from our state procedures," he warned, referring to the possibility that a future administration might take a more favorable stance towards Havana.
The measure adds to the federal indictment made public on May 20, when the Department of Justice charged Castro and five other former Cuban military officials for their involvement in the attack.
The only accused individual in U.S. custody in this case is Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez, a former lieutenant colonel of the Cuban Air Force, who pleaded not guilty in a Miami court in June.
The new judicial action is the result of an investigation that Uthmeier ordered to be reopened after taking office in 2025 and that involves the Office of State Processing (OSP) and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
The reactivation of the case was publicly announced in March 2026, when the prosecutor explained that the authorities would resume investigations to determine possible criminal responsibilities for the downing of the planes.
According to the sworn statement described by the Prosecutor's Office, Raúl Castro, then Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) and First Vice President of Cuba, was deemed one of those responsible for the final decision within the chain of command that authorized the shooting down.
Authorities attribute prior instructions to high-ranking military officials for the aircraft to be shot down over the sea without the need for further consultations.
Filed under: