The U.S. government is reportedly preparing a federal indictment against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro over his alleged role in the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft operated by the Miami-based humanitarian organization Brothers to the Rescue.
According to reports citing U.S. officials familiar with the matter, federal authorities are examining possible criminal charges tied to the deaths of four people killed during the incident nearly 30 years ago.
The aircraft were shot down Feb. 24, 1996, after Cuban MiG fighter jets intercepted two unarmed Cessna planes flying north of Cuba over international waters.
The planes belonged to Brothers to the Rescue, a nonprofit group that conducted search-and-rescue operations for Cuban migrants attempting to reach the US by sea.
The organization also carried out leaflet drops over Cuba criticizing the communist government led at the time by Fidel Castro and his brother Raúl Castro.
Four people were killed in the attack, including US citizens Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña and Pablo Morales, along with permanent US resident Armando Alejandre.
At the time of the shootdown, Raúl Castro served as Cuba’s defense minister and oversaw the country’s military forces under Fidel Castro’s government.
According to reports, lawmakers and investigators have cited intercepted communications and later statements from Cuban officials allegedly linking authorization of the operation to senior military leadership.
Four Republican members of Congress sent a letter earlier this year to President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi urging the Justice Department to reopen the investigation.
The lawmakers described the shootdown as a “regime-sponsored military operation” and requested consideration of international arrest notices connected to possible charges against Castro.
In March, James Uthmeier announced Florida had reopened a dormant state-level criminal investigation involving the 1996 attack.
Uthmeier said the state investigation had previously stalled during former President Joe Biden’s administration before being reactivated earlier this year.
Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida have also reportedly established a working group examining possible charges involving Cuban government officials and Communist Party members, per Trending Politics.
The task force reportedly includes officials from the Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Treasury Department investigating alleged violent crimes, economic offenses and immigration violations.
Previous legal action tied to the shootdown included a 2003 federal indictment against two Cuban fighter pilots and their commanding officer connected to the attack.
Cuba has long maintained the aircraft entered Cuban airspace and posed a threat, though US authorities and an International Civil Aviation Organization investigation disputed that claim following the incident.
The Cuban government will likely describe Castro’s indictment as an attack by the U.S. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has refused to step down from his government position and said he would not give in to the Trump administration’s demands, as President Donald Trump weighs his options against Cuba, similar to Venezuela.
