US Moves Toward Indicting Raúl Castro Over 1996 Shootdown

The U.S. Department of Justice is preparing to seek an indictment against former Cuban President Raúl Castro in connection with the 1996 destruction of two civilian aircraft operated by the humanitarian organization Brothers to the Rescue, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The proposed charges would still require approval from a federal grand jury.

The investigation centers on the February 1996 incident in which Cuban military jets shot down two small aircraft over waters near Cuba, killing four Cuban American men. The planes belonged to Brothers to the Rescue, a Florida-based exile organization that conducted missions aimed at locating and assisting Cuban migrants attempting to cross the Florida Straits.

At the time, the Cuban government argued the aircraft had violated Cuban airspace, while U.S. authorities and international investigators said the planes were operating in international airspace when they were attacked. The incident triggered international condemnation and sharply worsened relations between the United States and Cuba.

Two Brothers to the Rescue planes were shot down by Cuban fighter jets in 1996.