What we know about the Cuban exiles’ group at the heart of Raúl Castro’s indictment
The U.S. Justice Department is considering an indictment against Raúl Castro related to the 1996 shootdown of two planes operated by the Cuban exile group Brothers to the Rescue. This group, founded to assist Cuban refugees, became a focal point in U.S.-Cuba relations following the tragic incident that resulted in the deaths of four members. The ongoing investigation highlights the complex history and tensions between the two nations.
- ▪Brothers to the Rescue was founded in 1980 to help Cuban refugees during a mass emigration to the U.S.
- ▪On February 24, 1996, Cuban fighter planes shot down two unarmed Cessnas belonging to Brothers to the Rescue, killing all four men aboard.
- ▪The U.S. government had previously warned the group about provoking Cuba, but they continued their operations in Cuban airspace.
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Open this photo in gallery:A Brothers to the Rescue plane flies over The Democracy Movement flotilla at the twelve-mile limit north of Havana, Cuba in July, 1999.Alan Diaz/The Associated PressShareSave for laterPlease log in to bookmark this story.Log InCreate Free AccountA group founded by Cuban exiles known as Brothers to the Rescue is at the centre of the U.S. Justice Department’s decision to seek an indictment against Cuban leader Raúl Castro, a move that would revive one of the lowest points in the two countries’ bitter decades-long relationship.A person familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press that the potential indictment is connected to Castro’s alleged role in the 1996 shootdown of two planes operated by the Miami-based exile group.
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