U.S. moving to indict Cuba’s Raúl Castro, sources say

The United States is taking steps to charge Raúl Castro, the 94-year-old former Cuban president and brother of Fidel, in connection with the downing of planes 30 years ago, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

The potential indictment – which would have to be approved by a grand jury – is expected to focus on the deadly 1996 shooting down in Cuba of planes operated by the humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue.

A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.

The plan comes as the United States puts increased pressure on the Cuban government. The Trump administration has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on any country exporting oil to Cuba, resulting in energy shortage as oil shipments are largely halted. President Trump has pushed for major reforms in Cuba and launched a “friendly takeover” of the country.

Pressure on Cuba began to intensify in January, after the U.S. military Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has been removed from power. and took him to New York to face drug charges. Venezuela was a key partner of Cuba before the operation.

Raul Castro officially resigned as leader of the Cuban Communist Party in 2021, but he is still widely considered one of the country’s most powerful figures. His grandson Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as “Raulito,” is considered both a representative of the 94-year-old and a key point of contact between the United States and Cuba.

Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe met the young Castro on Thursday, following a previous visit to the United States last month. Ratcliffe personally delivered President Trump’s message that the United States is “ready to engage seriously on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes,” a CIA official said. The official added that Cuba “can no longer be a refuge for Western Hemisphere adversaries.”

Miami’s top federal prosecutor launched a new initiative targeting Cuba’s communist leaders several months ago. This initiative, which involves federal and local law enforcement as well as the U.S. Department of the Treasury, pursues prosecutions related to economic crimes, drugs, violent crimes, and immigration-related violations, particularly targeting Communist Party leaders. CBS News previously reported.

The incident that could ultimately lead to Castro’s indictment dates back to February 1996, when two Cessnas operated by Brothers to the Rescue — an exile group that sought out Cubans seeking to flee the island on rafts — were shot down by a Cuban MiG-29 fighter jet, killing four people.

A report from the Organization of American States finds the planes were shot down outside Cuban airspace and says Cuba violated international law by firing without warning and without proof that it was necessary. The incident sparked outrage at the time, with President Bill Cinton condemning it “in the strongest possible terms.”

Cuban officials have maintained the shooting was legitimate, saying the group violated Cuban airspace and sought to commit acts of sabotage on infrastructure.

Fidel Castro told CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather that the Cuban military was acting on his “general orders” to prevent planes from encroaching on the country. At the time of the Brotherhood to the Rescue shooting, Fidel – who died in 2016 – was the country’s leader and Raúl led the armed forces.

One person, Gerardo Hernández, was convicted in the United States of conspiracy to murder in connection with the shooting, after federal prosecutors said he was part of a spy ring that sought to pass information about Brothers to the Rescue to Cuban intelligence services. He was sentenced to life in prison, but was sent to Cuba in a 2014 prisoner exchange.

Earlier this year, Florida’s attorney general said at a March news conference that he was reopening a state investigation into the same 1996 plane incident.

Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott and other Florida lawmakers also recently called on the Justice Department to indict Castro and bring him to justice in the United States.

In a social media post Thursday evening in response to the CBS News report, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wrote: “Let’s tear each other apart, it’s been a long time!” »