Former Cuban President Raul Castro Indicted in U.S. for 1996 Plane Incident

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Reuters) – Former Cuban President Raul Castro was indicted by U.S. authorities on Wednesday for his alleged involvement in the destruction of two civilian planes off the coast of Cuba that resulted in four deaths in 1996.

Thirty years after the incident, the indictment of Raul Castro, who was then the Defense Minister, marks a further escalation in the conflict between Washington and Havana.

This decision also recalls the political and legal strategy used by U.S. President Donald Trump to secure the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3 for drug trafficking. Cuba and Venezuela, targets of the Trump administration, are historical allies.

Prior to the indictment of Fidel Castro’s brother, a key figure in the Cuban revolution of 1959 who passed away in 2016, Donald Trump had stated in a press release that he could not “tolerate a rogue state” so close to American territory.

However, the White House chief said on Tuesday that he was willing to help Cuba, whether or not there was a “regime change” in Havana.

“Cuba is calling us. They need help. But Cuba is a bankrupt state. Cuba needs help, and we will help,” he said to the press.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has repeatedly emphasized that his country is not a threat and warned on Monday against “bloodshed” in response to Trump’s aggressive statements.

The Cuban president revisited the incident of 1996, asserting that Cuba acted to defend its territory and accusing the U.S. of justifying military action against the regime through the indictment.

“It’s a political maneuver devoid of any legal basis,” Miguel Diaz-Canel declared.

Raul Castro, 94 years old, is indicted for an incident that marked a turning point in U.S.-Cuban relations and led Washington to strengthen its embargo with the Helms-Burton Act. He led Cuba from 2008 to 2018.

According to the indictment, he is charged with conspiracy to kill American citizens, four counts of homicide, and two counts of aircraft destruction. Five other individuals are also charged alongside him, the document states.

Asked about a possible arrest of Raul Castro by the U.S. military during a ceremony in Miami honoring the victims of the 1996 incident, U.S. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche did not respond to the question but indicated that he expects the Cuban leader to face justice one day.

“There was an arrest warrant issued against him, so we expect him to appear here on his own initiative or in another way.”

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On February 26, 1996, Cuban air force fighters shot down two Cessna planes of “Brothers to the Rescue,” a Cuban exile humanitarian organization based in Miami, killing four people. U.S. authorities believe that Raul Castro played a key role in this operation.

A ceremony was scheduled in Miami on Wednesday to honor the victims.

The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio proposed on Wednesday, in a video message to the Cuban people, to establish new relations between the United States and the regime.

He offered to provide $100 million in food and medical aid to the Cuban population, on the condition that it is distributed through churches.

“We offer our assistance not only to alleviate the current crisis, but also to build a better future,” he said on the occasion of Cuba’s Independence Day.

In his Spanish-language video address, Marco Rubio attributes the shortages affecting the regime under a quasi-blockade from the U.S. to the “greed and corruption” of its leaders.

“The real reason you lack electricity, fuel, or food is that those who control your country have diverted billions of dollars, and none of it has been used to help the population,” said the Cuban-American diplomat.

His Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodriguez, accused him of echoing “vengeful and corrupt interests.”

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Katharine Jackson; French version edited by Sophie Louet)

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