For almost 30 years, four American families waited for justice. On February 24, 1996, Cuban military fighter jets shot down two unarmed civilian Cessna aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue, a South Florida humanitarian organization that flew missions searching for Cuban migrants in distress at sea. The planes were over international waters. Four men were murdered: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales. Now, President Trump’s Department of Justice has unsealed a superseding indictment charging 94-year-old Raul Modesto Castro Ruz and five Castro-regime co-defendants for the shoot-down. “Over three decades later, we are committed to holding those accountable for the murders of four brave Americans: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales,” said Acting Attorney General @DAGToddBlanche. The United States and @POTUS will NOT forget… pic.twitter.com/n2e7ZDzEgL — U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) May 20, 2026 The charges include conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, two counts of destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder. If convicted, the defendants face a possible maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment on the murder and conspiracy counts. As with all criminal defendants, those charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced the indictment: The Southern District of Florida said Raul Modesto Castro Ruz, 94, and five Castro-regime co-defendants are charged over the February 24, 1996, shoot-down of two unarmed civilian aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue, also known as Hermanos al Rescate. According to the Justice Department, Brothers to the Rescue was a Miami-based humanitarian organization that flew across the Florida Straits to search for Cuban migrants in distress. Prosecutors allege Cuban intelligence infiltrated the group and sent flight-operation information back to the Cuban government before the attack. The indictment alleges Cuban military fighter jets, under a chain of command overseen by Raul Castro, fired air-to-air missiles at two unarmed civilian Cessna aircraft outside Cuban territory. The charges include conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, two counts of destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder. DOJ also said the pilots had departed from Opa-locka Airport for a planned humanitarian flight, and that both targeted aircraft were destroyed without warning during the mission. Brothers to the Rescue, also known as Hermanos al Rescate, was a humanitarian volunteer group based in South Florida. Their pilots flew unarmed Cessna planes over the Florida Straits looking for Cuban rafters and migrants who were stranded or in danger of drowning. On that day in 1996, Cuban MiGs intercepted and destroyed the two small aircraft in broad daylight over international waters, killing all four crew members aboard. The attack was an act of premeditated murder against unarmed civilians on a humanitarian mission, and it has stood as one of the most brazen acts of state-sponsored violence against American citizens in the Western Hemisphere. For decades, no charges of this magnitude were brought. The Obama administration normalized relations with Cuba without ever pursuing accountability for the four dead Americans. President Trump’s Justice Department sent a different message. As reported by Local 10 News in Miami, the indictment was met with deep emotion in the South Florida Cuban-American community, where the Brothers to the Rescue shoot-down remains a defining moment. The families of the four victims have waited nearly 30 years to see the men responsible formally charged by the United States government. This indictment sends a clear signal: America will pursue those who kill its citizens, no matter how powerful the perpetrators believe themselves to be, and no matter how much time has passed. The Justice Department also laid out why the case still matters after three decades: Federal prosecutors said the victims were Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales. The department said the attack followed prior Cuban military training to locate and intercept slow-moving civilian aircraft. DOJ said the two aircraft, identified by tail numbers N2456S and N5485S, were targeted during a planned humanitarian flight south of the 24th parallel. If convicted, the defendants face a possible maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment on the murder and conspiracy-to-kill-U.S.-nationals counts. The department said Raul Castro and one co-defendant also face up to five years in prison on each aircraft-destruction count. Those maximum penalties are set by Congress, and any sentence would ultimately be decided by a judge. The department emphasized that an indictment is an allegation, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court. Raul Castro is 94 years old. Justice does not have an expiration date.