US indicts former Cuban President Raul Castro over 1996 plane downing

The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted former Cuban President Raúl Castro and five other Cuban military officers on charges of murder, conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens, and destruction of aircraft. The indictment relates to the February 24, 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft operated by the Miami-based exile group "Brothers to the Rescue." Four people died in the incident. The charges were approved by a grand jury in the Southern District of Florida on April 23 and announced Wednesday at the Freedom Tower in Miami.

The 94-year-old Castro, brother of longtime dictator Fidel Castro, is accused of ordering the downing of the two small planes. The aircraft belonged to Brothers to the Rescue, an organization of Cuban exiles that claimed to conduct humanitarian missions and search for refugees at sea. The indictment includes conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, four counts of murder, and two counts of destruction of aircraft.

The incident occurred on February 24, 1996, over international waters near the Cuban coast. According to the U.S. account, the Brothers to the Rescue aircraft were in international airspace when they were shot down by Cuban MiG fighter jets. The Cuban government at the time justified its actions by arguing that the planes had repeatedly violated Cuban airspace and were part of a hostile organization.

Cuba's current President Miguel Díaz-Canel sharply rejected the U.S. allegations, calling them lies and distortions of the 1996 events. The Cuban government characterizes Brothers to the Rescue as a "narco-terrorist organization" and denies that it was a purely humanitarian group. Díaz-Canel accused the United States of manipulating and distorting the historical events.

The indictment represents a significant escalation in tensions between Washington and Havana under the Trump administration. It marks the first time in nearly 70 years that a senior leader of the Cuban regime has faced criminal charges in the United States over events that resulted in the deaths of U.S. citizens. The announcement coincided with an offer from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Cuba, proposing a "new path" and $100 million in aid.

President Donald Trump called the indictment against Castro a "very big moment" but ruled out further escalation. Nevertheless, recent developments fuel speculation that the Trump administration is seeking regime change in Cuba. Critics see parallels to previous U.S. actions against Latin American leaders, including the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

The legal prospects of the indictment remain unclear, as Castro is in Cuba and extradition is highly unlikely. However, the symbolic significance of the move is substantial and marks a new low in relations between the longtime Cold War rivals. The announcement was deliberately timed for Cuban Independence Day, a date that the Havana regime does not celebrate.

The indictment also raises questions about future U.S. policy toward Cuba. While Rubio offers aid and a new relationship if political conditions change, the criminal prosecution of Castro intensifies pressure on the Cuban government. Observers see this as a coordinated strategy by the Trump administration that employs both carrot and stick to bring about political change on the island.

The Brothers to the Rescue organization was founded by Cuban exiles in Miami and claimed to conduct search and rescue operations for Cuban refugees attempting to reach the United States by sea. The group also engaged in activities that the Cuban government viewed as provocative, including dropping leaflets over Havana. The 1996 incident occurred during a period of heightened tensions between the two countries.

The timing of the indictment, nearly three decades after the incident, suggests it is part of a broader pressure campaign against the Cuban government. The Trump administration has reversed many of the diplomatic openings initiated during the Obama presidency and has imposed additional sanctions on the island. The criminal charges against Castro represent the most dramatic escalation yet in this renewed confrontation between the two nations.