US Charges Cuba’s Raúl Castro With Murder Over 1996 Plane Shootdown | APT

Added: 2026-05-24

[00:00:00]Today, we are announcing an indictment charging Raul Castro and several others with conspiracy to kill US [music] nationals.

[00:00:17]>> [music] >> The United States has formally charged former Cuban leader Raul Castro in connection with the 1996 downing of two civilian aircraft belonging to the Cuban American group Brothers to the Rescue.

[00:00:33]According to BBC, US prosecutors unveiled charges against Castro and five others accusing [music] them of conspiracy to kill US nationals, destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder tied to the deaths of Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Alberto Costa, Mario Manuel de la Peña, and Pablo Morales.

[00:00:55]The incident occurred in February 1996 when Cuban fighter jets shot down two small planes over waters between Cuba and Florida. The attack triggered international condemnation at the time and remains one of the most controversial episodes in US-Cuba [music] relations.

[00:01:12]Speaking in Miami, acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said, >> [snorts] >> Nations and their leaders cannot be permitted to target Americans, kill them, >> [snorts] >> and not face accountability.

[00:01:28]President Trump is committed to restoring a very simple but important principle. If you kill Americans, we will pursue you, no matter who you are, no matter what title you hold, and in this case, no matter how much time has passed. Blanche added that [music] arrest warrants have been issued for Castro, though he did not specify whether the US would attempt to bring the former [music] Cuban leader into custody.

[00:01:51]The charges come amid renewed pressure from Washington on Cuba's communist [music] government. According to the BBC, the Trump administration has increased [music] sanctions and tightened economic restrictions on the island, which affect Cuba's oil supply.

[00:02:07]US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also addressed the Cuban people in a message released on Cuba's Independence Day, accusing the military-linked conglomerate GAESA of contributing to the country's economic hardships, including blackouts and food shortages.

[00:02:23]Cuba's government strongly rejected the allegations. President Miguel Díaz Canel described [music] the indictment as a political maneuver devoid of any legal foundation.

[00:02:35]He defended Cuba's actions as legitimate self-defense within its jurisdictional waters.

[00:02:41]The announcement has been welcomed by many Cuban exile groups in Miami.

[00:02:46]Families and supporters gathered at Freedom Tower during the announcement, calling the indictment long overdue justice for the victims.

[00:02:54]But analysts warn the move could further inflame tensions between Washington and Havana.

[00:02:59]Roxana Vigil, an international affairs fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told the BBC that it is unlikely that the Cuban regime will surrender to the United States without a fight.

[00:03:12]Political experts also note that Raúl Castro, now nearly 95 years old, officially stepped away from active leadership years ago, although he remains an influential symbol of the Cuban Revolution.

[00:03:25]While few expect Castro to appear before a US court, the case marks a dramatic escalation in relations between the two countries and signals that the issue of accountability for the 1996 incident remains far from closed.