The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to indict former Cuban President Raúl Castro over the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft tied to the Miami-based humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Fox News reported that President Donald Trump’s Justice Department is expected to move forward with the indictment as early as Wednesday, though officials have not publicly confirmed the charges.
When asked about the reports, Department of Justice spokeswoman Emily Covington declined to comment, telling Fox News Digital the department would not “comment on rumors.”
The expected indictment would mark one of the most dramatic escalations in U.S.-Cuba tensions in decades and could reopen one of the most controversial incidents in modern Cuban-American history.
Castro, now 94, served as Cuba’s president from 2008 through 2018 following decades as one of the communist regime’s top military and political leaders alongside his brother, former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
The possible charges stem from the Feb. 24, 1996 shootdown of two unarmed civilian aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue, a Miami-based Cuban exile organization that conducted search-and-rescue missions for Cuban migrants attempting to flee the island.
Cuban MiG fighter jets shot down both planes north of Cuba, killing four men.
The victims included U.S. citizens Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña and Pablo Morales, as well as US permanent resident Armando Alejandre.
The U.S. has long maintained the aircraft were flying in international airspace when they were destroyed, while Cuba argued the planes violated Cuban sovereignty.
The incident became a major flashpoint in U.S.-Cuba relations and led to the passage of the Helms-Burton Act, which dramatically tightened American sanctions against Cuba.
Among those expected to attend are Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Deputy Director Christopher Raia, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and Sen. Ashley Moody.
The Justice Department advisory reportedly described the event as both a press conference and a ceremony honoring the victims of the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue killings.
The developments come just days after CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Havana for a high-level meeting with Cuban intelligence and Interior Ministry officials.
According to reports, Ratcliffe delivered a message from President Trump stating the U.S. was willing to engage with Cuba economically and diplomatically only if the communist government implemented major reforms.
The timing of the expected indictment has fueled speculation that the Trump administration is dramatically increasing pressure on the Cuban regime while simultaneously exploring potential negotiations.
Trump has repeatedly intensified rhetoric toward Cuba during his second term and recently joked publicly that the U.S. could end up “taking over” the island.
“We’ll finish one first,” Trump said earlier this month while discussing foreign policy conflicts. “Cuba’s got problems.”
Any formal indictment against Castro would still require approval from a federal grand jury.
If charges are filed, the case would likely carry enormous geopolitical consequences given Castro’s role as one of the last surviving leaders of Cuba’s communist revolution and his decades-long influence over the island’s government and military.
