Miami, Oct 20. (dpa/GNA) – An arrest warrant has been issued in the US state of Florida, for Cuba’s former head of state, Raúl Castro, over the Cuban Air Force’s fatal downing of two small aircraft, operated by a Cuban exile organization in 1996.
“I was not an accident what happened, it was murder,” said Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier on Monday, when announcing the charges and the state-level arrest warrant.
The shooting down killed four people, three of whom were US citizens. The aircraft belonged to the Miami-based non-profit organization Hermanos al Rescate (Brothers to the Rescue).
In May, the US government had already charged the 95-year-old Castro. “Here in the state of Florida, we can bring our own separate charges,” said Uthmeier at a press conference.
The people of Miami had been waiting too long for justice, he said. The younger brother of revolutionary leader Fidel Castro (1926-2016) was defence minister of the socialist Caribbean state, when the aircraft were attacked.
Havana said the aircraft had entered Cuban airspace. The International Civil Aviation Organization, however, concluded they were over international waters.
Relations between the US and Cuba have been strained for decades.
Raúl Castro served as defence minister for 50 years, and subsequently led the country from 2006 to 2018.
His public appearances are currently rare.
GNA