The indictment marks a dramatic escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against Havana
Former Cuban President Raul Castro has been indicted by the US Justice Department, officials told Reuters on Wednesday. The indictment came months after US President Donald Trump warned that Cuba would be “next” after Venezuela was targeted for regime change.
The widely-expected indictment was handed down on Wednesday, officials said. It reportedly accuses Castro of ordering the shootdown of two American planes operated by anti-communist Cuban exiles off the island’s coast in 1996. Cuba said at the time that the planes were connected to the US Air Force, and were warned to divert before they were fired upon.
The indictment was handed down shortly before a ceremony in Miami commemorating the incident.
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May 20, 2026 at 09:29PM
RT