The United States has formally indicted former Cuban president Raúl Castro in a case that American prosecutors say has been under preparation for more than three decades, accusing him of involvement in the deadly 1996 shootdown of civilian aircraft operated by a Cuban-American group.
WEBDESK – MediaBites News
Raúl Castro, now 94, faces charges including conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, destruction of an aircraft, and four counts of murder related to the downing of two civilian planes belonging to the anti-Castro organization Brothers to the Rescue.
The attack, carried out by Cuban MiG fighter jets in international airspace in 1996, killed four people, including three American citizens.
The indictment was announced by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche during a ceremony in Miami honoring the victims of the incident.
According to officials, the case dates back to the 1990s when federal prosecutors in Miami first drafted criminal charges against Castro following the successful prosecution of former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega.
Former U.S. Attorney Guy Lewis said investigators had intensified efforts against the Castro government after the Noriega conviction and spent years developing evidence linked to Cuban intelligence activities and alleged support networks connected to Colombian drug cartels.
Lewis later prepared a seven-page legal memo outlining a possible prosecution against Castro. The document reportedly reached senior Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, before the case finally moved forward.
The investigation also focused heavily on the Cuban spy network known as “La Red Avispa” or the Wasp Network, which had infiltrated anti-Castro groups and military circles in Florida.
During a 2000 espionage trial, several Cuban intelligence agents were convicted in the United States, including Gerardo Hernandez, who prosecutors said helped coordinate information linked to the 1996 shootdown.
American prosecutors argued the attack was carefully planned to intimidate Cuban dissidents and anti-government activists.
“This was not a one-off incident. It was a planned homicide,” former prosecutor David Buckner said while describing the investigation.
Raúl Castro is not currently in U.S. custody.
The indictment has already triggered strong reactions within the Cuban-American community in Florida, where many families of the victims have long demanded justice over the killings.
The move also signals a major escalation in U.S.-Cuba tensions and revives painful memories surrounding one of the most controversial incidents in modern Cuban-American relations.
