U.S. has decided to arrest 95-year-old Raúl Castro in connection with deaths in a plane crash

 A court in the U.S. state of Florida has issued an arrest warrant for 95-year-old former Cuban leader Raúl Castro. He is suspected of involvement in the destruction of two civilian aircraft in 1996, an incident that resulted in the deaths of four people, according to NBC News.

The warrant was signed by Miami-based Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan. It is based on investigative findings suggesting that Castro may have participated in a conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. The document mandates the detention of the former Cuban leader, with no provision for release on bail.

 The events in question took place on February 24, 1996. On that day, Cuban military fighter jets shot down two light aircraft belonging to the organization "Brothers to the Rescue," which searched for Cuban refugees at sea. Four people were killed, three of whom were U.S. citizens. The American side maintains that the aircraft were in international waters at the time of the incident. Raúl Castro was serving as Cuba’s Minister of Defense when the event occurred.

Investigators believe that Cuban intelligence agents had infiltrated the Miami-based organization and were relaying information about its flight paths to Havana. According to the prosecution, this data may have been used in the planning of a military operation.