The United States has issued a federal criminal indictment against former Cuban President Raúl Castro in Miami. The 94-year-old former leader faces charges including four counts of murder, conspiracy to kill US nationals, and two counts of destruction of aircraft.
The charges stem from a 1996 incident in which Cuban jets shot down two civilian planes operated by the Miami-based humanitarian exile group Brothers to the Rescue. The attack resulted in the deaths of four Cuban Americans. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the indictment, as Justice Department officials traveled to Miami to honor those killed in the shootdown.
This indictment marks a significant escalation in the Trump administration's pressure campaign against Cuba's communist government, which has ruled the island since 1959. Washington is calling on the Cuban people to embrace a "new path" and seeking a "real opportunity to choose who governs your country" in an effort to force change on the island.
Castro, who stepped down from the presidency in 2018, last appeared in public in Cuba earlier this month. There is currently no evidence that he has left the island or that the Cuban government would allow him to be extradited.