US indicts Raúl Castro on murder and conspiracy to kill Americans

The Trump administration formally accused former Cuban dictator Raúl Castro of murder, conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and destruction of aircraft, in connection with two planes that were shot down in 1996 that belonged to a nonprofit organization.

At the time, Castro was serving as minister of defense of Cuba.

A Miami judge lifted the secrecy of summary proceedings in this case, in which the former Cuban dictator is charged with murder and conspiracy to murder, AFP reported.

On Feb. 24, 1996, two Cuban MiG fighter jets chased and killed two unarmed planes belonging to the non-profit organization Hermanos al Rescate in the Florida Straits, killing their four crew members.

A third aircraft, carrying the organization's leader, José Basulto, narrowly escaped. The downed planes landed in international waters.

U.S. warns Castro he will face prison

As soon as Castro’s indictment was made public, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche warned the former Cuban dictator that he would face prison if he did not voluntarily surrender in the United States.

“We expect that he will show up here, by his own will or by another way,” Blanche said at a press conference.

In addition, the acting attorney general wanted to acknowledge the families and loved ones of the victims. “For nearly 30 years, the families of four murdered Americans have waited for justice,” he added.

Díaz-Canel accuses U.S. of “lies”: “This is a political move”

In a statement posted on X, current Cuban dictator Miguel Díaz-Canel described the court ruling against Castro as a “political move,” asserting that the United States “lies and manipulates,” while also labeling Brothers to the Rescue a “narco-terrorist organization.”

“The alleged indictment against Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, which the U.S. government has just announced, only highlights the arrogance and frustration felt by the representatives of the empire toward the unwavering resolve of the Cuban Revolution and the unity and moral strength of its leadership,” Díaz-Canel stated. “This is a political move, without any legal basis, that seeks only to pad the dossier they are fabricating to justify the folly of a military attack on Cuba.”

“The U.S. lies and manipulates the events surrounding the downing of the planes belonging to the narco-terrorist organization Brothers to the Rescue,” added the Cuban dictator.