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The victims included American citizens Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales, along with permanent U.S. resident Armando Alejandre.
At the time of the attack, Raúl Castro was serving as Cuba’s defense minister and was widely considered the regime’s military enforcer under his brother, longtime dictator Fidel Castro.
For decades, Cuban exiles and victims’ families have insisted the order to destroy the planes came from the highest levels of the communist government. U.S. officials reportedly believe intercepted military communications and statements from former Cuban insiders may help establish direct responsibility.
The renewed push for accountability comes as Republicans intensify pressure on the Trump administration to take a harder line against Havana.
Earlier this year, four GOP lawmakers sent a formal letter urging President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi to reopen the federal investigation.
The lawmakers described the deadly operation as a “regime-sponsored military operation” and called for possible international arrest measures against Castro and other Cuban officials.
The timing was significant.
Next year marks three decades since the attack, an anniversary that many Cuban-Americans say cannot pass without justice.
Florida officials are also reopening old wounds surrounding the case.
In March, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that state investigators had revived a dormant criminal probe into Castro’s possible role in the killings.
That investigation had reportedly stalled during the Biden administration before being reactivated amid mounting political pressure in Florida, home to one of the nation’s largest Cuban exile populations.
Meanwhile, federal authorities in South Florida have reportedly assembled a multi-agency task force to examine potential crimes tied to Cuban regime figures.
The working group includes prosecutors and investigators from several federal agencies and is said to be reviewing allegations involving violent crimes, narcotics trafficking, sanctions violations, financial misconduct, and immigration-related offenses.
While the broader investigation covers numerous Cuban officials, the 1996 shootdown has emerged as one of the most politically explosive components.
The communist regime has long defended its actions, claiming the aircraft violated Cuban airspace and posed a threat to national security.
But American officials have repeatedly rejected that narrative.
International investigators also disputed Havana’s version of events, concluding the planes were attacked outside Cuban territorial airspace.
The case has already produced previous prosecutions.
In 2003, the United States indicted Cuban pilots and military personnel allegedly connected to the operation. Cuban intelligence operative Gerardo Hernández was later convicted in connection with conspiracy charges tied to the attack before eventually being released as part of a controversial prisoner swap.
Now, attention is turning directly toward Castro himself.
Though Raúl Castro officially stepped aside from party leadership in 2021, many analysts believe he still quietly influences Cuba’s ruling apparatus behind closed doors.
The developments also arrive as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on the island economically and politically.
The administration has floated aggressive new sanctions and warned foreign governments against supplying oil to Cuba, a move that has reportedly deepened fuel shortages across the country.
Trump has also openly discussed forcing major political reforms in Havana, even floating the possibility of what he called a “friendly takeover” if communist leaders refuse to change course.
Whether prosecutors ultimately move forward with charges remains unclear.
But for many Cuban exiles who have waited nearly 30 years, the possibility of seeing Raúl Castro face American justice represents something once thought impossible: accountability for one of the Castro regime’s darkest acts.
