DOJ Indicts Raul Castro in 1996 Shootdown Case That Killed Four, Nearly 30 Years Later

For the first time in nearly 70 years, senior leaders of Cuba’s ruling regime have been charged in the United States over alleged acts of violence that resulted in the deaths of American citizens, authorities said.

The U.S. Department of Justice unsealed a superseding indictment charging former Cuban leader Raúl Modesto Castro Ruz, 94, and five other men for their alleged roles in the February 24, 1996, shootdown of two unarmed civilian aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue (BTTR), also known as Hermanos al Rescate, over international waters.

The indictment names Castro Ruz of Holguín, Cuba; Lorenzo Alberto Perez-Perez of Las Tunas, Cuba; Emilio José Palacio Blanco; José Fidel Gual Barzaga; Raul Simanca Cardenas; and Luis Raul Gonzalez-Pardo Rodriguez.

“Over three decades later, we are committed to holding those accountable for the murders of four brave Americans: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.

The charges include conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, two counts of destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder.

According to prosecutors, Brothers to the Rescue was a Miami-based humanitarian organization that conducted flights over the Florida Straits to search for Cuban migrants in distress.

Beginning in the early 1990s, Cuban intelligence agents allegedly infiltrated the group and provided detailed information about its operations to the Cuban government. Investigators allege that the intelligence gathered was later used to plan the 1996 attack.

The indictment alleges that Cuban military pilots carried out training exercises in the weeks leading up to the incident to practice locating and intercepting slow-moving civilian aircraft. On February 24, 1996, three BTTR planes departed Opa-locka Airport in South Florida on a humanitarian mission south of the 24th parallel.

Prosecutors allege that Cuban military fighter jets, operating under a chain of command overseen by Raúl Castro, fired air-to-air missiles at two civilian Cessna aircraft, identified by tail numbers N2456S and N5485S. The aircraft were allegedly destroyed without warning while flying outside Cuban territory in international airspace.

All four people aboard the planes were killed: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales. Three of the victims were U.S. citizens.

“For 30 years, these families have waited for answers - and this FBI never forgot. We will continue working with our Justice Department partners to bring to justice those who attacked our civilians,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida described the indictment as a significant milestone in a decades-long pursuit of justice. “This passage of time does not erase murder. It does not diminish the value of these lives. And it does not weaken our commitment to the rule of law,” he said.

If convicted, the defendants could face a maximum sentence of death or life imprisonment on the murder and conspiracy charges. Castro Ruz and Perez-Perez also face up to five years in prison on each destruction-of-aircraft count.

Luis Raul Gonzalez-Pardo Rodriguez, 65, of Havana, is currently in U.S. custody and is awaiting sentencing in the Middle District of Florida later this month on a separate charge of making false statements in an immigration document.