By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — The United States is reportedly preparing to file criminal charges against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro over the deadly 1996 destruction of two civilian aircraft linked to the exile group Brothers to the Rescue.
According to American media reports, officials from the US Department of Justice are pushing forward with an indictment tied to the deaths of four people killed when Cuban fighter jets shot down the planes near Cuban airspace nearly three decades ago.
The case would still need approval from a US grand jury before formal charges could proceed.
Now 94 years old, Castro stepped away from leadership in 2021, closing the chapter on the Castro family’s decades-long grip on Cuba after succeeding his brother, Fidel Castro.
But the old controversy surrounding the 1996 aircraft attack has resurfaced with renewed force under President Donald Trump, whose administration has intensified pressure on Havana through sanctions, fuel restrictions, and diplomatic threats.
The aircraft belonged to Brothers to the Rescue, a Cuban exile organization known for searching for migrants stranded at sea and for dropping anti-Castro leaflets near Cuban territory.
Cuba long argued the planes repeatedly violated its airspace. However, international aviation investigators concluded the aircraft were destroyed over international waters.
When asked about the looming indictment, Trump declined to confirm details but criticized Cuba’s worsening economic collapse.
“They need help,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, describing Cuba as a nation “in decline.”
The remarks come amid a severe energy crisis on the island after Washington imposed an aggressive oil blockade that has deepened fuel shortages across Cuba.
This week, Cuban officials admitted the country has effectively exhausted its fuel oil reserves, worsening blackouts and economic paralysis.
Florida leaders quickly embraced the possibility of criminal action against Castro.
Governor Ron DeSantis called the potential indictment “long overdue,” while prosecutors in Florida recently reopened investigations into Castro’s alleged role in the 1996 incident.
Meanwhile, acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche refused to directly confirm whether charges are imminent, saying officials would speak “if and when” the time comes.
In a striking parallel development, CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Havana this week for meetings with Cuban officials.
Among those reportedly present was Raúl Castro’s grandson, signaling the seriousness of the diplomatic backchannel discussions.
US intelligence officials said Washington remains willing to discuss economic and security matters — but only if Cuba agrees to what they described as “fundamental changes.”
Cuban authorities insisted the meetings were aimed at improving communication and denied posing any threat to American national security.
Political analysts say the possible indictment is part of a broader campaign designed to squeeze Cuba’s leadership into concessions.
But experts warn the strategy carries major risks.
Professor William LeoGrande, a longtime scholar of US-Cuba relations, cautioned that destabilizing Cuba too aggressively could trigger a humanitarian and migration catastrophe for the United States itself.
“If Cuba collapses socially and economically,” he warned, “the fallout could unleash a massive migration crisis toward the US.”
LeoGrande also suggested Washington may be signaling to Raúl Castro that failure to cooperate could invite even more aggressive US intervention — similar to the operation that removed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro earlier this year.
Speculation is mounting over how far Washington is prepared to go if criminal charges move forward.
Some observers fear that any direct attempt to arrest Castro could inflame tensions across Cuba and provoke fierce resistance from loyalists within the Cuban government and military establishment.
For now, Havana remains publicly defiant — but behind closed doors, pressure between Washington and Cuba appears to be escalating rapidly.
ia/xf
