The US Justice Department is reportedly preparing to indict aging Cuban leader Raúl Castro in the coming days over the shooting down of two aircraft three decades ago.
The reported charges, which would need to be approved by a US grand jury, emerged as the director of the CIA travelled to Cuba to meet officials in Havana.
Castro, 94, stepped down as Cuban Communist Party leader in 2021, ending his family's more than half a century in power. He led the country for 15 years, stepping in after his brother, Fidel, resigned.
The potential indictment is the latest move in a US pressure campaign that has included an oil blockade and widespread sanctions.
The charges are said to centre on the 1996 downing of two planes operated by the US activist-humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue.
Unnamed US Department of Justice (DoJ) officials told US media the indictment could come as soon as next Wednesday.
Asked on Friday about the reported indictment plan, President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One: I'll let DoJ comment on it. He added: But [Cubans] need help, as you know. And you talk about a declining country. They are really a nation, a country in decline.
He acknowledged the ongoing blockade against Cuba, which has exacerbated fuel shortages, stating that the island's energy minister had recently admitted that Cuba has essentially run out of fuel oil.
Potential charges against Raúl Castro were unclear, but officials said the investigation centred on an attack on two small planes, which happened on February 24, 1996, while Fidel was president and Raúl was armed forces minister. Four people aboard were killed in the incident.
The Brothers to the Rescue group, a Cuban exile organization, had previously dropped anti-Castro leaflets near the Cuban coast. The Cuban government claimed that the group violated Cuban airspace, although the International Civil Aviation Organization determined that the attack occurred over international waters.
In March, the attorney general in Florida announced that the state was reopening an investigation into Raúl Castro's alleged role in the incident, with Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis praising the possible criminal charges as long overdue. Cuba has yet to officially comment on the indictment reports, but Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez maintained a defiant tone, stating, Despite the [US] embargo, sanctions and threats of the use of force, Cuba continues on a path of sovereignty towards its socialist development.
The indictment would require convincing a grand jury of probable cause of a crime being committed. Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche has not confirmed the reports but mentioned that any discussion about the indictment would come at the appropriate time.
Trump has emphasized the US's desire to change Cuba's communist leadership, suggesting a possible shift in US-Cuba relations as discussions continue around both economic and security issues. Analysts caution that any attempts to destabilize the Cuban government could lead to significant backlash, including a mass migration crisis.
