The charges stem from Raul Castro's alleged role in shooting down two civilian planes in 1996, killing four people, including three Americans.
Announcing the charges, which include conspiracy to kill US citizens, acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said President Donald Trump “will not forget our citizens.” Cuba's current president called the indictment “a political maneuver without any legal basis.”
Raul Castro in 1999
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Jorge Rey/MediaPunch/Associated Press/East News/East News
The indictment comes at a tense time for U.S.-Cuban relationsafter the Trump administration declared that the Cuban government posed a threat to U.S. national security. Cuba is also grappling with a collapse in its energy sector due to an oil blockade following a U.S. attack on Cuba's oil-rich ally, Venezuela.
See also: This island is Donald Trump's target. The economic crisis is deepening
Donald Trump: Cuba is a “rogue country”
Castro is the latest leader of a foreign country to be charged by US prosecutors. He was charged before the Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, deposed by the US, who was captured by US troops in January and brought to court in New York, where he is currently in custody.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday described Cuba as a “rogue country”which is “the habitat of hostile foreign troops”. He included his administration's actions towards the island in a broader campaign to strengthen US influence in the Western Hemisphere.
See also: This is how the Cuban Foreign Minister reacted to the new US sanctions. “Trying to punish”
Who is Raul Castro?
Castro was charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens, four counts of murder and the destruction of two planes in connection with a 1996 incident when the Cuban military shot down two civilian planes over international waters, CBS reported.
Raul Castro is the brother of the leader of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro, who died in 2016. He was defense minister at the time of the 1996 incident. He served as president of the country in 2008-2018 and as first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba in 2011-2021. Currently, he remains an influential figure in the island's behind-the-scenes politics.
It is unclear whether Castro will actually face trial in the US. There is no sign that the Cuban government plans to turn him over to U.S. law enforcement.
Things are hot between the US and Cuba
The Trump administration has increased pressure on Cuba in recent months, seeking to overthrow the regime in Havana. After Maduro was removed from power, the US virtually blocked oil supplies to Cuba, which deepened the ongoing economic and humanitarian crisis there. Last week, Cuban authorities announced that the country had run out of oil supplies.
Secretary of State MarcoRubio released a video message to the Cuban people on Wednesday on the occasion of the anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Cuba in 1902. He offered them a “new path” and a chapter in relations between the US and Cuba. He noted that the only obstacle are the island's rulers.
