Florida Issues Arrest Warrant for Former Cuban President Raúl Castro
Florida's attorney general has issued an arrest warrant for 95-year-old former Cuban president Raúl Castro on state murder charges. They relate to the 1996 shooting down of two civilian aircraft.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Monday issued an arrest warrant for Raúl Castro, the former president of Cuba. The warrant is tied to state-level murder charges similar to the federal charges brought against Castro in May this year. The move means the 95-year-old former Cuban leader is now sought under Florida law as well.
The charges
The charges concern the downing of two civilian aircraft on 24 February 1996. The planes belonged to the organisation Brothers to the Rescue, which helped Cubans flee to Florida. Four people died in the incident, and Castro is being held to account for their deaths 30 years later.
Statement from Florida's top prosecutor
In a statement, Uthmeier said Castro had coldly ordered the killing of four Florida residents and that Florida would never stop its efforts to bring those responsible for this communist conspiracy to justice.
Cuba's response
Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel has said the US federal charges against Castro have no legal basis and are an attempt to justify what he called senseless military aggression against Cuba. The source does not say whether Cuba has commented specifically on the Florida warrant.
