US charges Cuba's Raúl Castro with murder over 1996 downing of two planes

Castro and five others are charged with conspiracy to kill US nationals, murder, and destruction of aircraft

The U.S. has indicted former Cuban President Raúl Castro for allegedly ordering the 1996 shootdown of two civilian planes flown by exile group Brothers to the Rescue, resulting in the deaths of four Americans. At the time, Castro was Cuba's defense minister. The charges, issued secretly in April, include murder and destruction of aircraft; five Cuban military pilots were also charged. This move is seen as part of the Trump administration's increased pressure on Cuba following the recent capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/c04030a07c1b72442e61e72ad6d78604?utm_source=openai))

In May 2026, the U.S. Justice Department pursued an indictment against Raúl Castro for his alleged involvement in the 1996 shootdown of two small civilian planes operated by Brothers to the Rescue, a Cuban exile group based in Miami. At the time of the incident, Raúl Castro was Cuba's defense minister. The unarmed Cessna planes, flying near Cuban airspace, were shot down by Cuban fighter jets, resulting in the deaths of four exiled Cuban men. A third plane, carrying the group’s founder, José Basulto, survived. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/4b047a27abc4977e4d9a65dd9a773543?utm_source=openai))

Former president of Cuba, Raúl Castro, has been charged by the US over the 1996 downing of two civilian planes. Four people, three of them Americans, were killed in the attack by two Cuban MiG fighters in international airspace. The US says the charges relate to Castro’s alleged role as defence minister in ordering the downing of the two civilian planes, which belonged to the Brothers to the Rescue group, founded by Cuban exiles. ([itv.com](https://www.itv.com/news/2026-05-20/former-cuban-president-ral-castro-charged-in-us-over-1996-downing-of-two-planes?utm_source=openai))

Federal prosecutors in Florida on Wednesday unsealed an indictment charging former Cuban leader Raúl Castro and five others in connection with the Cuban military's fatal downing of two planes 30 years ago. The federal criminal charges against the 94-year-old Castro — brother of the late Fidel Castro and widely seen as one of Cuba's most powerful figures — mark an escalation in the Trump administration's pressure campaign against the Cuban government. ([cbsnews.com](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/raul-castro-indicted-us-cuba/?utm_source=openai))

A federal grand jury in South Florida indicted former Cuban president Raúl Castro, in an attempt to hold him accountable for the 1996 killing of four people, three of them Americans. Top Justice Department officials were expected to announce the unsealing of the indictment Wednesday in downtown Miami, the heart of the Cuban exile community. ([washingtonpost.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/05/20/former-cuban-president-ral-castro-indicted-us-murder-conspiracy-charges/?utm_source=openai))

The United States has indicted former Cuban president Raúl Castro on murder charges, three decades after the alleged offences occurred. The charges stem from a 1996 downing of two planes operated by a Miami-based group known as Brothers to the Rescue, founded by Cuban exiles. Raúl Castro was defence minister at the time and Cuba's highest authority after his brother, Fidel Castro.