The Attorney General of Florida, James Uthmeier, has called a press conference for this Monday at 10:00 a.m. at Florida International University (FIU) to provide information regarding an "arrest warrant" against Raúl Castro, who is formally charged by the U.S. federal justice system for his alleged involvement in the downing of two Brothers to the Rescue planes in 1996, reported NBC6 and Telemundo 51.
The federal charge against Raúl Castro was presented on May 20, 2026 by the Department of Justice, which accused Castro and five other former Cuban military officials of four counts of murder, two counts of aircraft destruction, and conspiracy to kill American citizens.
The federal arrest warrant was issued in that context, after which Castro has been considered a fugitive from federal justice for failing to appear before the court.
This new call from Uthmeier comes after a judge from the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida signed a new state arrest warrant against Castro on Friday, October 16, for his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, related to the downing of the aircraft in 1996.
According to Miami Herald, the order was authorized by Chief Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan, following an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). The court documents state that Cuban agents infiltrated Florida and participated in activities related to the preparation of the attack.
This new state action is independent of the federal criminal procedure announced on May 20, 2026. The key difference between the two orders lies in their jurisdiction: the federal one applies to offenses against national laws, while the state one is based on crimes committed in Florida.
The details of the press conference are still quite limited; however, the fact that the event will be held at FIU, an institution with a strong presence of the Cuban American community in Miami, gives it a symbolic gesture towards the Cuban exile.
"Throw them into the sea when they appear."
On February 24, 1996, Cuban MiG fighters shot down two Cessna 337 aircraft from Brothers to the Rescue over international waters in the Florida Strait, killing Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales. The first three were United States citizens; Morales was a legal resident of the country. Their bodies were never recovered.
Raúl Castro, now 95 years old, was the Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba at the time of the attack and is accused of having ordered the downing.
The central piece of evidence in this regard is an 11-minute and 32-second recording from June 1996, obtained and released in 2006 by journalist Wilfredo Cancio, in which Castro admits to having given the order. In the audio, Castro is heard saying: “take them down in the sea when they appear; and don’t consult those who have the authority”.
The only accused in U.S. custody is Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez, a former lieutenant colonel of the Cuban Air Force, transferred to Miami in June 2026 to face federal charges after being sentenced for immigration fraud.
Uthmeier reopened the state investigation in March 2026, stating that the case had been stalled during the Biden administration. "We will leave no detail uninvestigated," the prosecutor declared at that time.
No U.S. arrest warrant—regardless of its level—could be executed normally while Castro remains in Cuba, as there is no extradition treaty between the two countries. However, the legal proceedings in the United States carry significant symbolic weight in condemning the crimes of the Cuban regime led by the Castro brothers for nearly 70 years.
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