Trending Now - Former Cuban President Charged Alongside 1996 Jet Pilots
WHO:
AP News - González-Pardo Rodríguez is the only defendant in U.S. custody.
ABC News - Raúl Castro is now 94 years old.
AP News - González-Pardo Rodríguez is 65 years old.
ABC News - Former Cuban President Raúl Castro, five fighter pilots: Lt. Col. Lorenzo Alberto Pérez-Pérez, José Fidel Gual Barzaga, Lt. Col. Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez, Emilio José Palacio Blanco, Raúl Simanca Cárdenas.
AP News - U.S. Department of Justice.
WHAT:
ABC News - The indictment includes allegations that Castro and the pilots conspired to retaliate against the Brothers to the Rescue group after they dropped pro-democracy leaflets over Cuba in January 1996.
AP News - The indictment states that Castro and his brother, Fidel Castro, were the final decision-makers on orders to kill.
ABC News - Pérez-Pérez stated, “We tried to dissuade their crew members, but they continued to dangerously approach the Cuban coast, and then we received the order to interrupt the flight of the first aircraft.”
AP News - González-Pardo Rodríguez was indicted in November for allegedly making false statements in an immigration document.
AP News - The U.S. Department of Justice stated that González-Pardo Rodríguez falsely claimed he never received any weapons or military training and never served in a military or police unit.
ABC News - The indictment includes an undated photo of González-Pardo Rodríguez and Pérez-Pérez looking at a document next to a fighter jet.
AP News - Pérez-Pérez was previously indicted in the U.S. in August 2003.
ABC News - Federal authorities in the United States charged Raúl Castro and five fighter pilots in the 1996 downing of civilian planes operated by Miami-based exiles.
AP News - The indictment includes one count of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals against Castro and the pilots, with Castro and Pérez-Pérez also indicted on counts of murder and destruction of aircraft.
ABC News - The indictment alleges that Pérez-Pérez and a pilot who was not charged shot down two planes on February 24, 1996, killing four Americans.
WHERE:
ABC News - The incidents occurred in international airspace off the Cuban coast.
AP News - The pilots took off from the San Antonio de los Baños airfield, near Havana.
WHEN:
AP News - González-Pardo Rodríguez is scheduled to be sentenced later this month after pleading guilty in February.
ABC News - The indictment was announced on a Wednesday.
AP News - The downing of the planes occurred on February 24, 1996.
AP News - González-Pardo Rodríguez is scheduled to be sentenced later this month after pleading guilty in February.
WHY:
ABC News - The charges accuse Castro and the pilots of conspiring to terrorize, intimidate, and retaliate against Cubans and the exile community due to the Brothers to the Rescue group's flights that dropped pro-democracy leaflets over Cuba in January 1996.
AP News - Castro is accused of authorizing the use of deadly force against the Brothers to the Rescue group.
HOW:
AP News - The indictment alleges that the pilots engaged in training missions “to find, track, pursue and intercept” aircraft off the Cuban coast in anticipation of flights by Brothers to the Rescue.
AP News - The indictment alleges that Pérez-Pérez and Palacio Blanco took off from the San Antonio de los Baños airfield, near Havana, in separate jets.
ABC News - The indictment states that the pilots engaged in training missions “to find, track, pursue and intercept” aircraft off the Cuban coast in anticipation of flights by Brothers to the Rescue.
ABC News - The indictment states that the pilots engaged in training missions around February 1996 “to find, track, pursue and intercept” aircraft.
AP News - Pérez-Pérez requested authorization to shoot down the civilian aircraft approximately 20 minutes after takeoff.
(UPDATED May 22, 2026 13:48 UTC)
An indictment has been issued alleging that Castro and his pilots conspired to retaliate against the Brothers to the Rescue group after they dropped pro-democracy leaflets over Cuba in January 1996. The charges state that Castro and his brother, Fidel Castro, were the final decision-makers on orders to kill, with Pérez-Pérez noting that they attempted to dissuade the crew members before receiving orders to interrupt the flight of the first aircraft. Additionally, the indictment claims that the pilots conducted training missions to find, track, pursue, and intercept aircraft off the Cuban coast in anticipation of these flights.
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(UPDATED May 22, 2026 11:58 UTC)
González-Pardo Rodríguez is currently the only defendant in U.S. custody, having been indicted in November for allegedly making false statements in an immigration document. The U.S. Department of Justice claims he falsely stated that he had never received any weapons or military training and had not served in a military or police unit. González-Pardo Rodríguez is set to be sentenced later this month after pleading guilty in February.
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(UPDATED May 22, 2026 10:05 UTC)
Raúl Castro has reached the age of 94, while González-Pardo Rodríguez is now 65 years old. An indictment has surfaced that includes an undated photo of González-Pardo Rodríguez and Pérez-Pérez examining a document next to a fighter jet, with Pérez-Pérez having been previously indicted in the U.S. back in August 2003. According to the indictment, the pilots were involved in training missions aimed at finding, tracking, pursuing, and intercepting aircraft off the Cuban coast in preparation for flights by Brothers to the Rescue.
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(UPDATED May 22, 2026 08:07 UTC)
Federal authorities in the United States have charged Raúl Castro and five fighter pilots in connection with the 1996 downing of civilian planes operated by Miami-based exiles, with the indictment including serious charges such as conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals. The indictment alleges that Lt. Col. Lorenzo Alberto Pérez-Pérez and another pilot shot down two planes on February 24, 1996, resulting in the deaths of four Americans, and it accuses Castro of authorizing deadly force against the Brothers to the Rescue group. Additionally, González-Pardo Rodríguez is set to be sentenced later this month after pleading guilty in February, as the charges stem from a broader conspiracy aimed at intimidating the Cuban exile community.