The U.S. Prepares Charges Against 94-Year-Old Raul Castro Over Deaths of Americans 0 10

The U.S. may officially charge former Cuban President Raul Castro in connection with one of the most infamous incidents in the history of U.S.-Cuban relations.

According to CBS News and USA Today, U.S. authorities are taking steps to prepare charges in the case of the planes shot down in 1996 belonging to the Cuban exile organization Brothers to the Rescue.

At that time, the Cuban Air Force destroyed two light Cessna aircraft off the coast of Cuba.

Havana claimed that the planes violated the country's airspace. However, the International Civil Aviation Organization later concluded that the aircraft were over international waters.

As a result of the incident, four people died, three of whom were U.S. citizens.

For many years, some American politicians have called for Raul Castro to be held accountable, believing that he, while serving as Cuba's Minister of Defense, sanctioned the destruction of the planes.

In fact, this is an attempt to revisit one of the most painful episodes in Washington and Havana's relationship nearly three decades later.

Raul Castro is now 94 years old. He stepped down as President of Cuba in 2018 and left the leadership of the Communist Party in 2021.

Nevertheless, the former leader is still considered an influential figure in Cuban politics and maintains ties with the military and the country's leadership.

For Cuba, Raul Castro remains one of the last representatives of the 1959 revolution generation and the brother of Fidel Castro.

Information about possible charges has emerged against the backdrop of a new deterioration in relations between the U.S. and Cuba following Donald Trump's return to the White House.

In early 2025, the Trump administration once again included Cuba on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

This was another step toward tightening Washington's policy toward Havana.

While no official charges have been filed yet, the mere possibility of such a move could provoke a serious reaction both in Cuba and among the Cuban exile community in the U.S.