Former Cuba president Raul Castro charged with murder in the US

Raul Castro, Cuba's former president, has been charged with murder in the US in connection with a military airstrike against two civilian planes, which killed four people.

The aircraft, operated by the Miami-based group Brothers to the Rescue, were shot down by Cuban jets in 1996.

Castro, now aged 94, is charged with one count of ‌conspiracy to kill US nationals, four counts of murder, and two counts of destruction of aircraft, according to US court records that were unsealed on Wednesday.

Five other people are also named as defendants in the case, including three Cuban military pilots.

Acting US attorney general Todd Blanche told reporters in Florida on Wednesday that he expected Raul Castro ​to ‌appear in the ​country "by his own will or ​by ⁠another way".

But he did not elaborate on whether that meant the US would pursue a similar military operation that led to the capture of Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro.

The Cuban government has argued the fatal military strike in 1996 was a legitimate response to the planes intruding on Cuban airspace, and Raul Castro - then defence minister - did not give a specific order to shoot the planes.

In response to the charges, Cuba's President Miguel Díaz-Canel said the US "lies and distorts the events surrounding the downing of the planes" and described the charges as a "political manoeuvre, devoid of any legal foundation".

He defended the Cuban military's actions in 1996 in a statement on X, saying they "acted in legitimate self-defence within its jurisdictional waters, following repeated and dangerous violations of our airspace by notorious terrorists".

On Wednesday, Donald Trump, who has been pushing for regime change, called Cuba a "failing nation" but declined to elaborate on potential next steps, despite repeatedly threatening military action.

Ever since US forces captured Maduro, an ally of Cuba, the US president has imposed a blockade that has prevented fuel shipments to Cuba, leading to severe blackouts, food shortages and economic hardships.

What is Brothers to the Rescue?

Brothers to the Rescue, which describes itself as a humanitarian organisation, began operating in 1991 in response to thousands of Cubans emigrating to the US by boat. The group aimed to help Cuban refugees in the Florida straits by dropping supplies from small planes and alerting the US Coast Guard.

The crisis intensified in 1994 during instability and rioting in the country, which prompted Cuba's President Fidel Castro to change the migration rules and allow anyone to leave the country - sparking the so-called 'rafter crisis'.

But to discourage dangerous crossings, the then-US President Bill Clinton changed immigration rules to in a bid to prevent Cubans from heading north on rickety, makeshift boats.

Meanwhile, Brothers to the Rescue, which is also known by its Spanish name Hermanos al Rescate, continued flying towards Cuban airspace and provoking Havana.

On 24 February 1996, three planes carrying members of Brothers to the Rescue entered an area which was a short distance north of Cuba's capital.

Cuban fighter planes shot down two of the unarmed civilian Cessna jets, killing all four men aboard. A third plane, carrying the organisation's leader, narrowly escaped.

What was the response?

Fidel Castro, Cuba's then-president, said after the incident that ‌he gave general orders to stop the flights but did not specifically direct them to be shot down.

Castro said the military acted on "standing orders" and that his brother Raul, who at the time oversaw the nation's security services as defence minister, also did not ⁠give a specific order to shoot the planes.

When the two aircraft were shot down, the US condemned the attack and imposed sanctions, including the suspension of charter flights, but did not pursue criminal charges against either Castro brother.

The Justice Department instead charged three ⁠Cuban military officers in 2003, but they were never extradited.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation later concluded the attack happened over ​international waters.

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Who is Raul Castro?

‌Born in 1931, Castro was a key leader alongside his older brother Fidel in the ​guerrilla war that launched the country's communist revolution.

Castro served as his brother's defence minister ​for decades, and began a political ascent when Fidel fell ill in 2006, serving as acting president and then formally becoming president ‌in 2008.

Following Fidel's death in 2016, Castro remained the country's dominant political figure until 2018. After stepping down, ⁠he retained the honorific title of "army general" and continued ​to wield significant influence within Cuba.

(c) Sky News 2026: Former Cuba president Raul Castro charged with murder in the US