Florida Judge Signs Castro Warrant in Shootdown Case

Florida has issued a no-bond state arrest warrant for Raúl Castro. A Miami judge found probable cause after a state investigation. The warrant alleges conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue planes. Four people aboard the civilian aircraft were killed. The warrant alleges the plan moved through Cuba's chain of command, with Raúl and Fidel Castro as final decision-makers. The state case joins federal charges filed in May against Raúl Castro and five former Cuban military officers. Those charges include murder and conspiracy counts. The attack was carried out by Cuban fighter jets over the Florida Straits and killed three U.S. citizens and one U.S. legal resident.