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United States: Explosions/remote violence in Washington D.C.
Florida authorities have issued an arrest warrant for former Chairman of the State Council, Council of Ministers, and First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba Raul Castro on charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, said State Attorney General James Utmeyer. The case is related to the destruction of two civilian Cessna aircraft of the organization Brothers to the Rescue (Hermanos al Rescate) on February 24, 1996. MiG-29 fighter jets of the Cuban Air Force shot down the planes over international waters, resulting in the deaths of four people – Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales (all residents of Florida). The organization, which was based in Miami, was involved in searching for Cuban refugees and humanitarian flights. According to the investigation, Castro, who at that time held the post of Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba, participated in the decision to attack. According to case materials, Cuban intelligence agents infiltrated the organization: they transmitted flight route information to the authorities. The warrant was signed by Chief Judge of the 11th Judicial Circuit of Florida, Arianna Fajardo Orshan. Bail is not provided. In May 2026, Castro was charged by the United States with murder, destruction of aircraft, and conspiracy to murder US citizens. Castro himself is in Cuba. It is unknown whether he will appear before an American court. Raul Castro is 95 years old. He is the younger brother of the leader of the Cuban Revolution and longtime leader of Cuba, Fidel Castro, who died in 2016 at the age of 90. Raul Castro headed Cuba from 2008 to 2018, and from 2011 to 2021 was the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba.
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