A former Cuban spy who infiltrated a group of anti-communist exiles in Florida during the 1990s has stated that Havana's fatal downing of two aircraft piloted by activists paved the way for devastating U.S. sanctions that continue to cripple the island nation.
Interview with Rene Gonzalez
Rene Gonzalez, speaking at his home in Havana on Wednesday, told AFP that the stated mission of Brothers to the Rescue—assisting Cubans attempting to sail to Florida—was not the group's only objective. The Miami-based organization also had ulterior motives, he claimed.
"Hidden behind the humanitarian idea of saving lives, there was a series of schemes that were not made public," Gonzalez said, citing weapons tests and plans to attack the Cuban electrical grid.
On February 24, 1996, Cuban fighter jets shot down two small planes operated by Brothers to the Rescue, resulting in the deaths of four group members who opposed revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. The United States condemned the action, and then-President Bill Clinton signed the Helms-Burton Act, which tightened sanctions against Cuba. This law remains the foundation of the trade embargo still in effect today.
Gonzalez, who infiltrated the U.S. from 1991 to 1998 before being arrested and imprisoned, said that despite the loss of their members, the more radical elements of Brothers to the Rescue were "really happy." He added, "They got four people killed but they achieved a law that has hurt us a lot."
Background on Brothers to the Rescue
Founded in 1991, Brothers to the Rescue became more hardline in the mid-1990s, believing that the Cuban communist regime was nearing its end after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba's primary benefactor, according to Gonzalez. He recalled a 1994 flight over Havana during which the group dropped flares and smoke bombs near the seaside promenade, an incident widely covered by U.S. media at the time.
However, Gonzalez noted that not all members of Brothers to the Rescue endorsed violence. The four individuals killed in the shootdown included two young men, Carlos Costa and Mario de la Pena, who only wanted to save boat people. "They had nothing to do with the other plans," Gonzalez said.
Recent Indictment of Raul Castro
On Wednesday, the United States indicted former Cuban President Raul Castro on murder charges related to the 1996 plane shootdown, a significant escalation in President Donald Trump's pressure on the communist state. This move has raised speculation that Trump could use the charges as a pretext to attack the island and capture Castro, now 94, who remains influential in Cuban politics.
Gonzalez said Washington's indictment of Castro was not surprising, "given the context of aggressiveness that the Trump administration has generated as it resorts to gunboat diplomacy." In January, U.S. special forces ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, a key ally of Cuba, in a deadly raid on Caracas.
