The Trump administration plans to announce criminal charges against former Cuban president Raul Castro next Wednesday, according to a U.S. Justice Department official, in a move that would escalate the pressure campaign against the island's communist government.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said federal prosecutors expect to unseal an indictment against Castro, 94, in Miami on 20 May.
The case is based on a 1996 incident in which Cuban jets shot down planes operated by a group of Cuban exiles.
The prosecutors' office in Miami will host an event that day to honor victims of the incident, according to an invitation seen by Reuters. The office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The indictment would need to first be approved by a grand jury. The planned announcement was first reported by the Miami Herald.
Castro is the brother of the late Fidel Castro, the revolutionary and longtime foil of the United States who led the island's communist government for decades. Raul Castro stepped down as Cuba's president in 2018 and handed over leadership of its communist party in 2021.
He was defence minister during the 1996 incident. The Cuban government has argued the strike was a legitimate response to the planes intruding on Cuban airspace.
The U.S. condemned the attack and imposed sanctions, but did not pursue criminal charges against either Castro brother. The Justice Department charged three Cuban military officers in 2003 but they were never extradited.
The development comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Havana. The Trump administration has described Cuba's current communist-run government as corrupt and incompetent and is pushing for a regime change.
President Donald Trump has heaped pressure on the island, effectively imposing a blockade by threatening sanctions on countries supplying it with fuel, igniting power outages and delivering blows to its economy.
CIA chief John Ratcliffe delivered a message from Trump during a rare visit to Havana that the U.S. would engage with the government on economic and security issues "only if it makes fundamental changes."
Trump in March threatened that Cuba "is next" after Venezuela.
The top federal prosecutor in Miami is a Trump ally who is also overseeing an investigation of former CIA Director John Brennan, a longtime Trump adversary, along with a wider effort to examine whether prior investigations of Trump amounted to a conspiracy.
As world leaders gather in New York for the 81st UN General Assembly, the organisation faces wars, displacement, climate pressures and deepening ge...
Nearly 130,000 people have been forced from their homes in Yemen in recent weeks as fighting intensifies along the country’s west coast, acco...
Iranian judicial authorities have shut a French language centre in Tehran linked to the French Embassy, accusing it of “illegal activities&rd...
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
Iran's military has threatened to launch sustained attacks on U.S. bases and interests across the Middle East if Washington resumes military action against Tehran.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
Overnight Russian strikes on the city of Sumy, northeast Ukraine, have killed one woman and injured a man, the country's State Emergency Service has said.
Russian parliamentary elections have delivered a comfortable win to the ruling United Russia party, which is closely aligned to President Vladimir Putin. With more than 95 per cent of ballots counted, United Russia has taken 57.83 per cent of the vote, up from the 49.8 per cent it won in 2021.
As world leaders gather in New York for the 81st UN General Assembly, the organisation faces wars, displacement, climate pressures and deepening geopolitical divisions.
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is under preliminary investigation in France over a suspected conflict of interest linked to the 2024 sale of Ligue 1 broadcasting rights.
Overnight Russian strikes on the city of Sumy, northeast Ukraine, have killed one woman and injured a man, the country's State Emergency Service has said.
Russian parliamentary elections have delivered a comfortable win to the ruling United Russia party, which is closely aligned to President Vladimir Putin. With more than 95 per cent of ballots counted, United Russia has taken 57.83 per cent of the vote, up from the 49.8 per cent it won in 2021.
A powerful typhoon was approaching Japan’s Pacific coast on Monday, bringing torrential rain, strong winds and a heightened risk of landslides across the Kanto region, including Tokyo, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment