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Florida AG Gets Arrest Warrant for Raúl Castro

By Drooid · Oct 19, 2026, 11:05 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Uthmeier Issues Castro Warrant

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier secured an arrest warrant for former Cuban President Raúl Castro.
The warrant alleges Castro conspired to commit first-degree murder in the 1996 shootdown of two civilian planes.
Cuban MiGs downed two unarmed Cessna 337 Skymasters of Brothers to the Rescue over international waters, killing four.
Uthmeier warned the warrant limits Castro’s travel and may trigger extradition in countries with U.S. agreements.

Summary

Fajardo Orshan Signs Warrant

Chief Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit signed the arrest warrant.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel defended the 1996 shootdown as legitimate self-defense.
Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz called the warrant a historic step toward accountability.
FDLE Special Agent in Charge Michael Stein said the passage of time does not diminish justice.
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Natalie Milian Orbis praised the warrant, saying no regime can wash blood.

History

Historical Context

In 1998, Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón issued an international arrest warrant for former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, marking a historic move against sovereign immunity. Interpol circulated the warrant, and the United Nations condemned the act, leading to Pinochet’s 1998 London detention and £2 million legal expenses. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s warrant for ex-Cuban president Raúl Castro mirrors Garzón’s strategy, targeting the 1996 shoot-down of two Brothers to the Rescue Cessnas. Both cases illustrate how decades-old aerial attacks can trigger modern extradition battles, pressuring regimes to confront past violence under international law.

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Uthmeier Issues Castro Warrant

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier secured an arrest warrant for former Cuban President Raúl Castro.
The warrant alleges Castro conspired to commit first-degree murder in the 1996 shootdown of two civilian planes.
Cuban MiGs downed two unarmed Cessna 337 Skymasters of Brothers to the Rescue over international waters, killing four.
Uthmeier warned the warrant limits Castro’s travel and may trigger extradition in countries with U.S. agreements.

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