A judge in Miami has signed an arrest warrant without bail against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, aged 95, for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. The warrant is connected to the downing of two Brothers to the Rescue aircraft over the Florida Strait on February 24, 1996, an incident that resulted in the deaths of four men. Ariana Fajardo Orshan, chief judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, issued the order last Thursday. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier presented the details of the warrant at a press conference on Monday at Florida International University, confirming that the state order authorizes authorities to seek Castro's return to Florida if he is found outside the state. Judicial documents indicate that two Cuban agents embedded in Brothers to the Rescue, with operations in Miami and Key West, collected information and conducted surveillance that substantiates state jurisdiction. This state action is separate from a federal indictment filed by the Department of Justice on May 20, 2026, which charged Castro and five other former Cuban military personnel with seven counts, including individual murder and conspiracy to kill American citizens. Castro is currently considered a fugitive from federal justice for failing to appear in court. The only accused currently in U.S. custody is Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez, a former lieutenant colonel of the Cuban Air Force, who was transferred to Miami in June 2026 and pleaded not guilty. The case stems from the shooting down of two Cessna 337 aircraft in international waters, killing Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales. A central piece of evidence is a 1996 audio recording in which Castro, then minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, admits to giving the order to shoot down the planes. Although extradition is not possible due to the lack of a treaty between the U.S. and Cuba, the warrant adds a second independent legal avenue to pursue Castro for the murders.