Updated May 15, 2026 — CBS News
U.S. officials say the Justice Department is preparing paperwork that could lead to an indictment of Raúl Castro, the 94-year-old former Cuban president and brother of Fidel Castro, in connection with the 1996 shootdown of civilian aircraft. Any indictment would require grand jury approval, and a Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.
The expected case centers on the February 1996 downing of two Cessna planes flown by Brothers to the Rescue, an exile-run humanitarian group that patrolled the Florida Straits looking for rafters and protesting the Cuban government. A Cuban MiG-29 shot down the planes, killing four people. An Organization of American States report concluded the aircraft were shot down outside Cuban airspace and said Cuba violated international law by firing without warning and without justification. Cuba has maintained the strikes were lawful, alleging the planes violated its airspace and threatened infrastructure.
At the time of the shootdown, Fidel Castro was Cuba’s leader and Raúl Castro commanded the armed forces. Fidel later told U.S. media the military acted under his “general orders” to stop incursions. Raúl Castro formally relinquished party leadership in 2021, but remains widely regarded as an influential figure in Havana. His grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro—known as “Raulito”—has served as a key intermediary between Cuban officials and U.S. contacts.
The potential criminal action comes as the U.S. intensifies pressure on the Cuban government. The Trump administration has warned of steep penalties on countries that supply oil to Cuba, moves that have been tied to energy shortages on the island as shipments declined. President Trump has also publicly pressed for major reforms in Cuba and has floated the idea of a so-called “friendly takeover.” U.S. officials say pressure accelerated after an operation that removed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro earlier this year and brought him to New York to face drug charges, a development that weakened a longtime Cuban ally.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe recently traveled to Havana and met with Raulito, delivering a message from President Trump that the United States is willing to engage on economic and security issues only if Cuba undertakes fundamental changes, according to a CIA official. The official added that Cuba can no longer be treated as a safe harbor for adversaries in the Western Hemisphere.
In Miami, the U.S. attorney has launched a broader initiative aimed at Cuban Communist Party figures. That effort, involving federal and local law enforcement and the Treasury Department, targets alleged economic crimes, drug trafficking, violent offenses and immigration-related violations tied to party leaders, according to previous reporting.
One Cuban national, Gerardo Hernández, was convicted in the U.S. on a murder conspiracy charge related to the 1996 incident after prosecutors said he helped provide intelligence on Brothers to the Rescue to Cuban services. Hernández received a life sentence before being returned to Cuba in a 2014 prisoner swap.
Separately, Florida’s attorney general announced in March that a long-dormant state investigation into the 1996 shootdown has been reopened. Several Florida lawmakers, including Republican Sen. Rick Scott and members of the state’s congressional delegation, have urged the Justice Department to bring charges against Castro. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis responded to news of the potential federal move on social media, writing, “Let ’er rip, it’s been a long time coming!”
If prosecutors pursue an indictment, they would need to convince a grand jury to return charges and then address complicated questions of jurisdiction, immunity and the logistics of trying to indict a senior foreign national who lives abroad. U.S. officials say the investigation is part of a broader push to hold accountable individuals allegedly responsible for serious past crimes while using diplomatic and economic pressure to push for changes in Havana.