U.S. indicts Cuba’s Raúl Castro on murder and conspiracy charges for downing of planes in 1996

Washington — Former Cuban leader Raúl Castro and five others have been indicted by a U.S. grand jury in Florida in connection with the Cuban military’s fatal downing of two planes 30 years ago, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

The federal criminal charges against the 94-year-old Castro — brother of the late Fidel Castro and widely seen as one of Cuba’s most powerful figures — mark an escalation in the Trump administration’s pressure campaign against the Cuban government. Castro served as president of Cuba from 2008 to 2018 and as the top official of the country’s Communist Party from 2011 to 2021.

CBS News was first to report that the U.S. was preparing to indict Castro.

Castro was charged in Miami with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, four counts of murder and two counts of destruction of aircraft, according to court papers released Wednesday. The exact contents of the indictment aren’t clear: A judge on Wednesday granted a motion to unseal a superseding indictment against Castro, but the indictment itself has not yet been made public.

The other defendants include a fighter pilot who was initially charged in connection with the 1996 shootdown more than two decades ago.

“For nearly 30 years, the families of four murdered Americans have waited for justice,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a news conference in Miami on Wednesday. “My message today is clear: The United States and President Trump does not and will not forget its citizens.”

It’s not clear whether Castro will ever stand trial since Cuba does not extradite people to the United States. Former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was indicted on drug charges in 2020. Earlier this year, he was captured by U.S. forces and flown to New York for trial, a daring operation that led to the installation of interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who is now working closely with the U.S.

Brothers to the Rescue planes shot down
The charges against Castro focus on a 1996 incident in which a Cuban MiG-29 fighter jet shot down two Cessnas operated by Brothers to the Rescue, an exile group that searched for Cubans seeking to flee the island nation in rafts. Four people on board the planes were killed, including three U.S. citizens and one green card-holder.

The United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization found that the planes were flying outside Cuban airspace when they were shot down, which Cuba denies. The organization also said Cuban authorities did not make any attempt to deal with the planes through some other means, including contacting them over the radio or guiding them out of the area.

The shootdown was met with outrage. The Organization of American States alleged Cuba violated international law, and then-President Bill Clinton condemned it “in the strongest possible terms.” Congress reacted by tightening U.S. sanctions on Cuba.

The Cuban government denied wrongdoing, insisting the planes had entered Cuban airspace. Cuba accused Brothers to the Rescue members of repeatedly violating Cuban airspace to drop leaflets, and claimed the group had planned to sabotage Cuban infrastructure.

On Tuesday night, Cuba’s top diplomat Lianys Torres Rivera posted on social media a link to the declassified FAA records from 1996 in which U.S. officials foresaw a “worst case scenario that one of these days the Cubans will shoot down one of these planes and the FAA better have all its ducks in a row.”

At the time of the shootdown, Raúl Castro was the country’s defense minister. In a 1996 interview with “CBS Evening News” anchor Dan Rather, then-Cuban President Fidel Castro acknowledged that he issued “general orders” to stop planes from encroaching on the country.

In recent months, Florida political figures have urged the Justice Department to consider charging Raúl Castro with causing the planes to be shot down.

Decades ago, one person was convicted in the U.S. of murder conspiracy in connection with the shootdown, after federal prosecutors alleged he was part of a spy ring that sought to pass on information about Brothers to the Rescue to the Cuban intelligence service. He was sentenced to life in prison, but was sent to Cuba in a 2014 prisoner swap.

The head of Cuba’s Air Force and two fighter pilots were also indicted for the incident in 2003.

What’s next for Cuba-U.S. relations?
Now, with the indictment of Raúl Castro, prosecutors are charging a figure who has held senior roles in Cuba since his brother Fidel overthrew the country’s U.S.-backed leader in 1959. Raúl succeeded his brother as head of Cuba’s Communist Party in 2011. He stepped down as party leader a decade later, but he has remained influential, and his grandson — often known as “Raulito” — is a key point of contact with U.S. officials.

The indictment comes after months of tensions between the U.S. and Cuba. The Trump administration has threatened steep tariffs against any country that ships oil to Cuba, leading to widespread energy shortages and electrical grid failures on the island.

Meanwhile, the U.S. attorney in Miami launched an initiative earlier this year to look into prosecuting Cuban leaders, including for economic, drug, immigration and violent crimes.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has argued that Cuba needs to make sweeping economic and political reforms, and suggested the existing Cuban regime  — which he says is led by “incompetent, senile men” — needs to change. Hours after Maduro’s capture, Rubio pointed to Cuba’s reliance on Venezuela and told reporters: “If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I would be concerned, at least a little bit.”

In a video message posted online Wednesday morning, Rubio urged the people of Cuba to choose “a new path.” Meanwhile, Cuba’s deputy foreign minister Carlos F. de Cossio posted on social media early Wednesday that Rubio “lies” about Cuba because he “knows full well that there is no excuse for such a cruel and ruthless aggression.”

President Trump has not ruled out military action, saying at various points that he is interested in a “friendly takeover” of Cuba and that the country could be “next” after the U.S.’ war with Iran. Mr. Trump has also suggested he’s open to negotiation.

“Cuba is asking for help, and we are going to talk!!!” he wrote in a Truth Social post last week

Despite the tensions, American officials have visited Havana for talks at least twice this year, with CIA Director John Ratcliffe meeting with Raúl Castro’s grandson last week. The administration also separately offered Cuba $100 million in humanitarian aid.

A CIA official said Ratcliffe told Cuban leaders the Trump administration was offering “a genuine opportunity for collaboration” and a chance to stabilize Cuba’s struggling economy. But Ratcliffe warned, the official added, that the opportunity would not remain open indefinitely and the administration would enforce “red lines” if necessary.