US charges Cuba's Raúl Castro with murder over 1996 downing of two planes
The US Justice Department has indicted Cuba's former leader Raúl Castro for the 1996 shootdown of two civilian planes over the Florida Straits. Four people, including American citizens, were killed in the attack. The Cuban government described the case as a 'political show'.
The US Justice Department announced on Wednesday that former Cuban leader Raúl Castro has been indicted for murder and international terrorism over the 1996 shootdown of two Cessna aircraft operated by the Brothers to the Rescue group over the Florida Straits. Federal prosecutors told BBC Latin America that four people, including American citizens, were killed in the attack.
Prosecutors allege that Castro, defence minister at the time, gave the order for MiG fighter jets to scramble. The case file is built around 28 years of accumulated evidence and includes some testimony that was previously sealed. Castro is 93 and lives in Cuba; extradition is considered unlikely at this stage.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry described the indictment as a 'political show' in a written statement, and noted that it coincides with recent friction in US-Cuba relations. José Basulto, the founder of Brothers to the Rescue, told the BBC that 'justice requires remembrance, not just a wish'. The court has not yet released a preliminary hearing schedule.
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