The US is reportedly preparing criminal charges against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro over the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft operated by the anti-communist group “Brothers to the Rescue,” an attack that killed four Americans.
At the time, Cuba claimed its air force acted in defense of national airspace. However, an international investigation later concluded that the planes were outside Cuban airspace when Cuban MiG fighter jets shot them down over international waters.
The incident became one of the most notorious confrontations between Havana and Washington after the Cold War. Families of the victims and Cuban dissidents have spent decades demanding accountability, arguing that the attack was a deliberate act against unarmed civilian aircraft.
If charges are formally filed, it would mark one of the most dramatic US legal actions ever taken against a former communist head of state in the Western Hemisphere — and signal that Washington is willing to pursue accountability even three decades after the attack.