# Florida Gets a No-Bond Arrest Warrant for Raúl Castro Over the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue Shootdown

A Miami-Dade judge found probable cause that the former Cuban leader conspired to murder four men aboard unarmed civilian planes. Florida's attorney general and the governor are expected to announce it Monday.

- Section: [Politics](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/politics/)
- Published: 2026-10-19
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/florida-arrest-warrant-raul-castro-brothers-to-the-rescue/

Florida has a new legal tool against Raúl Castro, and it does not depend on Washington.

Fox News Digital obtained a state warrant that charges the former Cuban leader with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. It carries no bond. It was issued in Miami-Dade County, where a judge found probable cause that Castro conspired in the deaths of four men aboard unarmed civilian aircraft in the Feb. 24, 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shootdown.

Fox reports that Attorney General James Uthmeier, whose office reopened the state's investigation after he took office, is expected to announce the warrant with Gov. Ron DeSantis at a press conference Monday morning. The warrant tells law enforcement to arrest Castro immediately. It also says Florida will seek full extradition if he is arrested in another U.S. jurisdiction, and it hands the case to the attorney general's Office of Statewide Prosecution.

The warrant names the four men: Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario de la Peña and Armando Alejandre Jr. It says the plan to shoot down the planes moved through Cuba's chain of command, with Raúl Castro and his brother Fidel as the final decision-makers. It also quotes a recorded statement from Castro, now 95, made months after the incident. In it he describes giving generals the authority to shoot the aircraft down at sea without consulting anyone.

Brothers to the Rescue is a Miami-based group that flew unarmed planes to look for Cuban migrants lost or stranded at sea. Fox notes that by the mid-1990s it had also taken part in anti-Castro political activity, including dropping pro-democracy leaflets over Cuba.

The state charge is separate from a federal prosecution Castro already faces over the shootdown. The Cuban government rejects the U.S. case. Fox says Havana maintains that the group repeatedly violated Cuban airspace and that Cuba acted to defend its sovereignty.

What we do not know yet: what Uthmeier and DeSantis say at the press conference, and whether any country would act on the warrant. Castro is not in custody, and nothing in the source suggests he is about to be. This is an allegation backed by a judge's probable cause finding, not a conviction.

## Source

Original reporting: [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/us/florida-attorney-general-james-uthmeier-secures-state-arrest-warrant-raul-castro)