U.S. grand jury indicts Raúl Castro over 1996 plane shootdown

Washington — A federal grand jury in Florida has indicted former Cuban leader Raúl Castro and five others in connection with the 1996 downing of two civilian planes that killed four people.

The charges against the 94-year-old Castro mark an escalation in the Trump administration's pressure campaign against the Cuban government. Castro served as president of Cuba from 2008 to 2018 and as the top official of the country's Communist Party from 2011 to 2021.

Castro faces charges of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, four counts of murder and two counts of destruction of aircraft, according to the court docket. A judge on Wednesday granted a motion to unseal a superseding indictment, but the full document has not yet been made public.

One of the other defendants is a fighter pilot who was initially charged in connection with the shootdown more than two decades ago.

Cuba does not extradite people to the United States, so it is unclear whether Castro will ever stand trial. The indictment follows a similar case against former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who was indicted on drug charges in 2020 and later captured by U.S. forces.