Trump administration indicts Cuba’s Raul Castro over 1996 plane shootdown

United States federal prosecutors have indicted Cuba’s former President Raul Castro in connection with the 1996 downing of planes operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue. The indictment, unsealed on Wednesday, marks one of the sharpest escalations in tensions between Washington and Havana in years. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list The US Justice Department alleges that Castro, Cuba’s defence minister at the time, played a leading role in the decision to have Cuban fighter jets to shoot down two civilian aircraft on February 24, 1996. It has charged Castro with one count of conspiracy to kill US nationals, four counts of murder and two counts of destroying an aircraft. Four people were killed in the 1996 attack, which triggered international condemnation and deepened the strains between the US and Cuba. Kash Patel, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, called the indictment “a major step toward accountability”. Brothers to the Rescue began operating in 1991 during a wave of Cuban migration to the United States. Founded by Cuban exile Jose Basulto, the group aimed to help Cuban refugees crossing the Florida Straits by locating rafters at sea and alerting the US Coast Guard. US officials and international investigators said the planes were attacked over international waters, while Cuba maintained the aircraft had violated or approached Cuban airspace. …