Florida authorities have issued a state arrest warrant with no bail for 95-year-old former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, charging him with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. The warrant, signed on October 16 by Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, is connected to the 1996 shooting down of two civilian aircraft belonging to the humanitarian group Hermanos al Rescate (Brothers to the Rescue). The incident resulted in the deaths of four American citizens: Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and Governor Ron DeSantis announced the warrant at a press conference on October 19 at Florida International University in Miami. The legal action is based on the activities of Cuban agents who infiltrated the group in Miami and at Naval Air Station Key West between 1995 and February 1996, transmitting flight information to Cuban authorities. This state warrant is independent of federal charges filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on May 20, 2026, which accuse Castro and five other former Cuban military members of murder, aircraft destruction, and conspiracy. Castro is currently considered a fugitive from federal justice for failing to appear in court. While the jurisdictional basis for the Florida warrant is established, the practical execution is hindered by the absence of an extradition treaty between the United States and Cuba. The only defendant currently in U.S. custody is Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez, a former Cuban Air Force lieutenant colonel transferred to Miami in June 2026. Investigators cite an audio recording from June 1996, released in 2006, as central evidence, in which Castro, then Minister of the Armed Forces, is heard ordering the shootdown. Relatives of the victims expressed restrained relief at the announcement, viewing it as a step toward justice. The investigating agencies include the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the U.S. Department of Justice. Tips regarding Castro's location should be directed to local law enforcement or federal authorities handling the case.