US state issues arrest warrant for Raul Castro

Florida issues arrest warrant for Raul Castro over 1996 plane shooting

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Florida has issued an arrest warrant for 95-year-old former Cuban leader Raul Castro, according to a statement from the state Attorney General James Uthmeier. The warrant is based on criminal charges over Castro's alleged role in ordering two unarmed aircraft to be shot down in 1996.

The aircraft were affiliated with Brothers to the Rescue, a Florida-based group that helps Cubans fleeing the country. Four people were killed in the attack, which took place on February 24, 1996. US authorities say the planes were flying over international waters and received no warning before they were shot down.

Cuban officials have argued that previous Brothers to the Rescue flights had breached the country's airspace, despite warnings to stay away. Castro, who was Cuba's defence minister at the time of the attack, later became president of the island in 2008, replacing his brother, the late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro.

The decision to shoot down the two small twin-engine planes has been the subject of renewed controversy over the last year, as Republican President Donald Trump seeks to oust Cuba's communist leaders. The move comes as US authorities step up pressure on the government in Havana.

State Attorney General James Uthmeier said the arrest warrant was necessary accountability for the lives lost. “Thirty years later, we are still fighting for justice for Carlos Costa, Pablo Morales, Mario de la Pena, and Armando Alejandre Jr.”

The arrest warrant is part of a federal indictment from May, as the US steps up pressure on the Cuban government. Castro faces state-level charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in Florida.