Florida charges Raúl Castro over 1996 downing of exile group’s planes
publishers 12articles 12first reported 19 Oct, 13:30 UTCdeveloping since 19 Oct · 10 editions
Florida authorities have charged former Cuban President Raúl Castro with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder over the 1996 downing of two civilian planes flown by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier alleged Monday that Castro, now 95, directed Cuban intelligence agents to infiltrate the group and gave final authorization for the attack. Castro was Cuba’s armed forces minister and first vice president at the time.
According to the state complaint, agents in the Wasp Network obtained flight information after infiltrating Brothers to the Rescue. On Feb. 24, 1996, three unarmed Cessna aircraft departed Opa-Locka Airport in Miami-Dade County. Cuban MiG fighters destroyed two of them with air-to-air missiles, killing all four people aboard. The complaint says the aircraft were outside Cuban territorial waters. U.S. officials said they were traveling away from Cuba and received no warning.
The Florida case is based largely on a federal indictment announced in May that charged Castro with murder and destruction of an aircraft. Uthmeier acknowledged that Castro may never appear in a U.S. courtroom, but said an arrest warrant could restrict his travel to countries that have extradition agreements with the United States.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel previously called the federal case a political stunt and accused U.S. authorities of misrepresenting the shootdown.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 1 article, 1 with the publisher's own text; 1 independent newsroom once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 2 h after the record first saw the story; the editor revised it.
- Publishers
- 12
- Source articles
- 12
- Given to the writer
- 1, 1 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 1
- This version written
- 2 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- revised
- Publication gate
- passed
- Human review
- none
WHAT THE EDITOR DID
The second model checked the writer's draft against the same sources and changed it before publication. Struck words were in the draft; underlined words are its corrections.
WHAT IT FLAGGED editor revise: Correct the attribution for the aircrafts’ direction of travel and lack of warning. - "The complaint says the aircraft were outside Cuban territorial waters, traveling away from Cuba and received no warning.": This credits all three details to the state complaint, but the source attributes the claim that the aircraft were traveling away from Cuba and received no warning to U.S. officials.
THE DRAFT AND THE CHANGES
Florida charges Raúl Castro over 1996 downing of exile group’s planes
Florida authorities have charged former Cuban President Raúl Castro with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder over the 1996 downing of two civilian planes flown by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier alleged Monday that Castro, now 95, directed Cuban intelligence agents to infiltrate the group and gave final authorization for the attack. Castro was Cuba’s armed forces minister and first vice president at the time.
According to the state complaint, agents in the Wasp Network obtained flight information after infiltrating Brothers to the Rescue. On Feb. 24, 1996, three unarmed Cessna aircraft departed Opa-Locka Airport in Miami-Dade County. Cuban MiG fighters destroyed two of them with air-to-air missiles, killing all four people aboard. The complaint says the aircraft were outside Cuban territorial waters,waters. U.S. officials said they were traveling away from Cuba and received no warning.
The Florida case is based largely on a federal indictment announced in May that charged Castro with murder and destruction of an aircraft. Uthmeier acknowledged that Castro may never appear in a U.S. courtroom, but said an arrest warrant could restrict his travel to countries that have extradition agreements with the United States.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel previously called the federal case a political stunt and accused U.S. authorities of misrepresenting the shootdown.
Written by a language model from the sources above, then checked by a second model that may only cut, attribute or correct. How it works →