Miami: The US has charged former Cuban leader Raºl Castro with conspiracy to kill US nationals and other crimes related to the downing of two planes between Cuba and Florida in 1996. The case, unveiled on Wednesday, revives charges originally brought in 2003, accusing Castro and five others of shooting down an aircraft belonging to the Cuban American group Brothers to the Rescue and killing four people, including three Americans.
According to Ghana Web, the US is also charging Castro with the destruction of aircraft and four individual counts of murder over the deaths of Armando Alejandre Jr, Carlos Alberto Costa, Mario Manuel de la Pe±a, and Pablo Morales. The announcement was made by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche at Freedom Tower in Miami. Blanche emphasized that the United States, under President Trump, is committed to seeking justice for its citizens.
The indictment targets a key figure of Cuba's communist leadership amid heightened US pressure for political and economic reforms in the country. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had earlier addressed the Cuban people, attributing the country's blackouts and food shortages to the Cuban military-run conglomerate GAESA. In response, Cuban President Miguel Daz-Canel criticized the US, describing the charges as a "political manoeuvre" and defending Cuba's actions as legitimate self-defense.
Blanche confirmed the existence of a warrant for Castro's arrest, though the logistics of bringing him to the US remain uncertain. At nearly 95, Castro is still a significant figure in Cuba, known as the surviving "leader of the Cuban Revolution." The situation echoes past tensions, with US-Cuba relations having briefly thawed during Castro's presidency and former US President Barack Obama's tenure.
The indictment announcement was met with approval by many Cuban Americans in Miami, though it raises questions about the potential for further US actions against Cuba. Roxanna Vigil from the Council on Foreign Relations suggested that any US military or law enforcement actions would be complex, given the entrenched positions on both sides. Meanwhile, US-Cuban diplomatic contacts continue but are unlikely to be eased by these charges, with Cuban media denouncing the accusations as false.