Florida prosecutor to reopen investigation into Raul Castro over 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shootdown

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is preparing to reopen a criminal investigation into Cuban dictator Raúl Castro for his alleged role in the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft belonging to the humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue.

According to a report by Telemundo 51, the decision follows new information related to the incident that occurred on February 24, 1996, when Cuban Air Force fighter jets shot down two unarmed civilian planes over international waters.

The attack killed four pilots affiliated with the Miami-based humanitarian organization.

Uthmeier described the incident as “a terrible tragedy in which the Brothers to the Rescue planes were shot down by the Cuban government.”

“I don’t believe that is in dispute,” he said.

The Florida attorney general noted that the case had previously been closed during the Biden administration, but said he has decided to reopen it after taking office, working in coordination with federal authorities.

“We will work together, and when there are grievances against Florida citizens under both state and federal law, those responsible must be held accountable,” he said.

“Many members of the state legislature and others in Florida want to see resolution and, ideally, accountability,” Uthmeier added during a press conference on Wednesday.

For decades, Cuban exile organizations have argued that the shootdown was a deliberate operation ordered by the highest levels of the Cuban regime.

The Assembly of the Cuban Resistance (ARC) and other exile groups have long demanded that the investigation be reopened and that criminal responsibility be established for officials involved in the attack, including Raúl Castro.

ARC Secretary General Dr. Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat welcomed the announcement.

“Justice must be served because there can never be tolerance for massacres — for the dignity of the lives lost and to prevent future victims,” he said ADN Cuba.

On February 24, 1996, Cuban Air Force fighter jets shot down two unarmed civilian aircraft belonging to Brothers to the Rescue in international airspace.

The attack killed:

Armando Alejandre Jr.

Carlos A. Costa

Mario M. de la Peña

Pablo Morales

Three were U.S. citizens and one was a legal permanent resident of the United States.

In February, the Trump administration extended for another year an executive order authorizing the detention and inspection of U.S. and foreign ships heading to Cuba.

The measure has remained in place since 1996, following the shootdown of the Brothers to the Rescue aircraft.