US Moves to Indict Raúl Castro Over 1996 Brothers to the Rescue Shootdown

The United States is taking steps to indict former Cuban President Raúl Castro, 94, over the deadly 1996 shootdown of planes operated by the humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue, according to CBS News and U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

“The United States is preparing to indict former Cuban presidentRaúl Castroover the 1996 shootdown of civilian aircraft operated by the Miami-based humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue, according to a U”

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The potential indictment would need to be approved by a grand jury and is expected to focus on the downing of two Cessna aircraft nearly 30 years ago, an incident that killed four people.

CBS News

The case centers on the February 1996 incident in which two Cessnas operated by Brothers to the Rescue were shot down by a Cuban MiG-29 fighter jet, and a report by the Organization of American States found the planes were shot down outside Cuban airspace.

Cuban officials have argued the shootdown was legitimate, with Fidel Castro telling “CBS Evening News” anchor Dan Rather that the Cuban military was acting on his “general orders” to stop planes from encroaching on the country.

The possible indictment comes after CIA Director John Ratcliffe met Thursday with counterparts from Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior during a high-level visit to the island nation, Fox News Digital reported.

During his meeting Thursday, Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials including Raulito Rodriguez Castro, Interior Minister Lazaro Alvarez Casas and the head of Cuban intelligence services in Havana to "personally deliver President Trump’s message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes."

Fox News

A CIA official told Fox News that Ratcliffe and Cuban officials discussed intelligence cooperation, economic stability and security issues, with the backdrop that Cuba can “no longer be a safe haven for adversaries in the Western Hemisphere.”

The U.S. pressure described in the reporting includes threatened heavy tariffs on any country that exports oil to Cuba, and CBS News said the Trump administration has threatened heavy tariffs on any country that exports oil to Cuba, leading to has floated a "friendly takeover" of the country.

The potential indictment also aligns with renewed attention from Florida officials and lawmakers on the 1996 plane shootdown, after Florida’s attorney general said at a March news conference that he was reopening a shuttered state investigation into the same incident.

“Trending: Trump-Xi meet West Asia war India measures Prateek Yadav death IPL playoffs Cannes 2026 advertisement US moves to indict Fidel Castro's brother Raúl over 1996 plane shootdown incident: Report FP News Desk _•_ May 15, 2026, 08:41:38 IST advertisement Amid the ongoing diplomatic row between the United States and Cuba, reports are emerging that the former is taking steps to indict 94-year-old former President of Cuba, Raúl Castro, in connection with the downing of planes 30 years ago”

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In a social media post Thursday evening responding to the CBS News report, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote, “Let ’er rip, it’s been a long time coming!”

The reporting also ties the indictment effort to broader U.S. actions, including expanded sanctions targeting countries and companies that do business with Cuba, particularly oil suppliers, increasing pressure on Havana amid fuel shortages and widespread power outages.

The CBS News account says the incident that could ultimately lead to Castro's indictment dates back to February 1996, when two Cessnas operated by Brothers to the Rescue were shot down by a Cuban MiG-29 fighter jet, killing four people, and it notes that Gerardo Hernandez was convicted in the U.S. of murder conspiracy in connection with the shootdown.