Former Cuban President Raúl Castro has been indicted in the United States, according to a senior Trump administration official.
The case is tied to the 1996 shootdown of aircraft flown by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue, which killed four people.
At the time of the incident, Castro was Cuba’s defence minister and one of the most powerful figures in the island’s communist government.
The indictment is expected to be formally unsealed by the US Department of Justice.
How The Case Started
The case reaches back to a tense period in US-Cuba relations, when the Cuban military shot down two civilian aircraft linked to Brothers to the Rescue.
The incident killed four people and became one of the most disputed moments in the long conflict between Havana and Cuban exile groups in Florida.
Raúl Castro, now 94, was defence minister when the shootdown happened.
He later became president in 2008 after Fidel Castro fell ill, and he stepped down in 2018, though he remains a major figure in Cuba’s political system.
Why Washington Is Acting Now
The indictment comes as Donald Trump intensifies pressure on Cuba’s communist government, which has ruled since the 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro.
US officials see the case as part of a wider effort to hold Cuban leaders responsible for past actions and to increase pressure on Havana.
The case also follows a pattern of US action against governments Washington views as hostile, including past legal and political pressure on Venezuela’s leadership.
Cuba has not released an official response to the indictment.
However, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla has defended the country’s position before, saying:
“Despite the embargo, sanctions and threats of the use of force, Cuba continues on a path of sovereignty towards its socialist development.”
President Miguel Díaz-Canel has also warned that any US military action would lead to a “bloodbath”, while insisting Cuba poses no threat to the United States.
Raúl Castro, born in 1931, played a central role in the Cuban revolution alongside his brother Fidel and helped build the communist state that followed the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista.
The indictment now adds a major legal and political chapter to an already bitter relationship between Washington and Havana.
What It Means Next
If unsealed, the indictment could become one of the most direct US legal actions against a former Cuban head of state in decades.
It also signals that the long-running conflict between the two countries is still active, even decades after the 1996 shootdown.
For Cuba, the case is another sharp reminder that old grievances can still return as modern diplomacy hardens.
If you want, I can next turn this into the exact JolibaLive format with the two H2 bold subheadings placed and the quoted lines italicized throughout.
Rate, Like 👍, Comment 💬, Share this article, Follow us on our social media handles, and Submit your own story to get featured and earn rewards!
