MIAMI — A federal grand jury has charged former Cuban leader Raul Modesto Castro Ruz, 94, and five co-defendants in the Feb. 24, 1996, shoot-down of two unarmed civilian aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue over international waters — an attack that killed four U.S. nationals, including three U.S. citizens.

The superseding indictment, unsealed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, charges conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, two counts of destruction of aircraft and four counts of murder. If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment on the murder and conspiracy counts.

“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 Todd Blanche. “For the first time in nearly 70 years, senior leadership of the Cuban regime has been charged in the United States for alleged acts of violence resulting in the deaths of American citizens. President Trump and this Justice Department are committed to restoring a simple principle: if you kill Americans, we will pursue you. No matter who you are. No matter what title you hold.”

“Today’s superseding indictment of Raul Castro and five Castro regime co-defendants is a major step toward accountability in the 1996 murders of four Brothers to the Rescue members - including three U.S citizens - Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandro Jr, Mario de la Pena, and Pablo Morales,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “For 30 years these families have waited for answers - and this FBI never forgot. We will continue working with our Justice Department partners to bring to justice those who attacked our civilians.”

Brothers to the Rescue, also known as Hermanos al Rescate, was a Miami-based organization that conducted humanitarian flights across the Florida Straits searching for Cuban migrants in distress. According to the indictment, Cuban intelligence agents infiltrated the organization beginning in the early 1990s and relayed detailed flight information back to the Cuban government. On the day of the attack, three BTTR planes departed Opa-locka Airport for a planned humanitarian flight south of the 24th parallel. Cuban military fighter jets under the chain of command overseen by Castro Ruz fired air-to-air missiles at two unarmed Cessna aircraft — tail numbers N2456S and N5485S — destroying them without warning in international airspace and killing all four aboard.

The co-defendants named alongside Castro Ruz are Lorenzo Alberto Perez-Perez of Las Tunas, Cuba; Emilio José Palacio Blanco; José Fidel Gual Barzaga; Raul Simanca Cardenas; and Luis Raul Gonzalez-Pardo Rodriguez, 65, of Havana. Gonzalez-Pardo Rodriguez is already in U.S. custody pending sentencing later this month in the Middle District of Florida for making false statements in an immigration document. Castro Ruz and Perez-Perez each face up to five years in prison on the destruction of aircraft counts.

“For 30 years, the families of these men have waited. The Miami community has waited. Our country has waited. Today is a step toward accountability,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This passage of time does not erase murder. It does not diminish the value of these lives. And it does not weaken our commitment to the rule of law.”

The indictment alleges that in the weeks before the attack, Cuban military pilots conducted training exercises designed to locate and intercept slow-moving civilian aircraft. The U.S. Attorney’s Office acknowledged the assistance of the Florida Attorney General’s Office. “We are grateful for the support provided by Attorney General James Uthmeier and his team during this investigation,” Reding Quiñones said.

The announcement was made in conjunction with a ceremony at the Freedom Tower in Miami honoring the victims. Participants included Acting Attorney General Blanche, U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones, U.S. Senator Ashley Moody, FBI Deputy Director Christopher G. Raia and Florida Attorney General Uthmeier. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Abbie D. Waxman and Michael E. Gilfarb are prosecuting the case, with the investigation led by the FBI Miami Field Office. Court documents are available under case number 03-cr-20685 in the Southern District of Florida.

Gonzalez-Pardo Rodriguez is scheduled for sentencing later this month in the Middle District of Florida.