On October 19, 2026, Chief Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida signed a state arrest warrant charging former Cuban leader Raúl Castro with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder for his alleged involvement in the 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue humanitarian planes.
The warrant follows an investigation by the Florida Attorney General’s office, headed by James Uthmeier. The 1996 incident saw Cuban forces down two Brothers to the Rescue aircraft, killing the pilots.
The new charges revive the long‑standing case, alleging Castro participated in a conspiracy to murder the pilots.