The United States Department of Justice (DoJ), has filed murder charges against former Cuban president Raul Castro, marking a major escalation in tensions between Washington and Havana.
The charges, announced on Wednesday by the Trump administration, are linked to the 1996 shooting down of two civilian aircraft operated by the Cuban exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Cuban fighter jets brought down the planes over international waters, killing four people on board.
US prosecutors charged the 94-year-old former leader with conspiracy to kill US nationals, four counts of murder and two counts related to the destruction of aircraft. Five Cuban military pilots were also named in the indictment.
The case revives one of the most controversial incidents in modern US-Cuba relations and comes as President Donald Trump pushes a tougher approach toward Cuba’s communist government.
The announcement was made during a ceremony in Miami honouring the victims of the 1996 attack. Senior US officials, including Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, described the indictment as a long-overdue step toward justice.
Raúl Castro, who succeeded his brother Fidel Castro and later handed power to a younger generation of leaders, is believed to still be in Cuba. There is no indication that Havana would consider extraditing him.
It is highly unusual for the United States to bring criminal charges against a former foreign head of state, making the move one of the strongest legal actions Washington has taken against Cuba in decades.
