JUST IN: DOJ Weighs Raul Castro Indictment Over 1996 Rescue Shootdown

The United States is reportedly taking steps toward indicting former Cuban leader Raúl Castro in connection with the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft operated by the humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue, according to reports citing U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

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The potential indictment would reportedly require approval from a grand jury and would center on the February 1996 incident that left four people dead after Cuban fighter jets shot down two Cessna aircraft.

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A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on the reported effort.

The move comes as the Trump administration increases pressure on Cuba, including threats of steep tariffs targeting countries that export oil to the island, worsening Cuba’s ongoing energy shortages.

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President Donald Trump has also publicly pushed for major reforms in Cuba as tensions between Washington and Havana continue to escalate.

The 1996 incident remains one of the most controversial confrontations between the United States and Cuba in the post-Cold War era.

Brothers to the Rescue was a Miami-based exile group that conducted flights searching for Cubans attempting to flee the island by raft.

In February 1996, two of the group’s aircraft were shot down by a Cuban MiG-29 fighter jet.

An investigation by the Organization of American States concluded the planes were destroyed outside Cuban airspace and found Cuba violated international law by using lethal force without warning or sufficient justification.

Then-President Bill Clinton condemned the attack “in the strongest possible terms.”

Cuban officials have long defended the shootdown, arguing the aircraft violated Cuban airspace and posed a security threat.

At the time of the incident, Fidel Castro was Cuba’s leader, while Raul Castro oversaw the armed forces.

Fidel Castro later said the military acted under his general orders to prevent incursions into Cuban territory.

One individual, Gerardo Hernandez, was convicted in the United States on conspiracy charges related to the shootdown after prosecutors alleged he helped pass intelligence to Cuban authorities.

He was later released as part of a 2014 prisoner exchange and returned to Cuba.

The renewed legal scrutiny comes amid a broader administration crackdown targeting Cuba’s communist leadership.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly met Thursday with Raul Castro’s grandson, Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, known as “Raulito,” delivering a message that the United States is prepared to engage economically and on security matters only if Cuba makes significant changes.

A separate law enforcement initiative launched in Florida has also reportedly been examining potential prosecutions involving Cuban communist officials for economic crimes, narcotics offenses, violent crimes and immigration violations.

Florida Republicans have increasingly pushed for accountability in the decades-old case.

Sen. Rick Scott and other lawmakers have recently urged the Justice Department to pursue charges, CBS News reported.

Gov. Ron DeSantis responded to the reports with a blunt endorsement.

“Let ’er rip, it’s been a long time coming!” DeSantis wrote.

Raul Castro formally stepped down as Communist Party leader in 2021 but remains widely viewed as an influential power broker inside Cuba.

If prosecutors move forward, the case would mark a dramatic escalation in U.S.-Cuba tensions and reopen one of the most emotionally charged chapters in modern relations between the two countries.

“I’m the only Cuban-born Member of the US Congress, and I fully support bringing dictator Raúl Castro to justice,” Republican Florida Rep. Carlos Giminez said on X.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel confirmed Friday that his government has been holding talks with officials from the Trump administration. The discussions come as the communist island struggles with a deepening energy crisis and mounting economic pressure, Fox News reported.

During a 90-minute news conference broadcast by state media, Díaz-Canel said the talks were aimed at addressing long-standing political differences between Havana and Washington. The New York Times first reported details of the negotiations.