{"id":2605091,"date":"2026-05-20T13:40:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T17:40:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-indicts-raul-castro-over-1996-shootdown-of-us-civilian-planes\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T13:41:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T17:41:37","slug":"doj-indicts-raul-castro-over-1996-shootdown-of-us-civilian-planes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-indicts-raul-castro-over-1996-shootdown-of-us-civilian-planes\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ indicts Raul Castro over 1996 shootdown of US civilian planes"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdoj-indicts-raul-castro-over-1996-shootdown-of-us-civilian-planes%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2605091&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Raul Castro,the former Cuban president adn brother of Fidel Castro,was indicted in the United States as part of an intensified Trump administration effort targeting Cuba\u2019s communist goverment. Before the indictment was formally unsealed, the Justice Department requested that the indictment against Castro and five others be made public, though the docket initially did not list the charges.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors are expected to accuse Castro-then Cuba\u2019s defense minister-of involvement in the Feb. 24,1996 downing of two <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >civilian planes operated<\/a> by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue,an attack that killed all four men aboard,including three U.S. citizens. Cuba has previously defended the strike as a lawful response to alleged airspace violations, though the U.S. condemned it and later tightened sanctions.<\/p>\n<p>The indictment is set against broader U.S. pressure on Cuba and signals of possible regime-change support. Trump has argued the U.S. won\u2019t tolerate hostile operations so close to the country, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered Cubans a new relationship and up to $100 million in aid. Cuba\u2019s foreign minister criticized Rubio but did not respond directly to the aid offer, and Cuban officials did not immediately comment on the indictment. The move is also likened to an earlier U.S. case involving former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>Former <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/cuba\/\">Cuban<\/a> President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/raul-castro\/page\/3\/\">Raul Castro<\/a> was indicted in the United States on Wednesday in a dramatic escalation of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\">Trump administration<\/a>\u2019s pressure campaign against Cuba\u2019s communist government.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to the indictment\u2019s formal unsealing, a request by the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\">Justice Department<\/a> emerged on the federal court docket asking for an indictment against Castro and five others to be unsealed. The docket did not include descriptions of the charges.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4565142\/june-social-security-direct-payment-goes-out-12-days\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>June Social Security direct payment worth $994 goes out in 12 days<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4565072\/second-round-may-social-security-payments-today\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Second round of May Social Security payments goes out today<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4575916\/justice-department-creation-anti-semitism-advisory-committee\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Justice Department announces the creation of Anti-Semitism Advisory Committee<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>The indictment, which was set to be formally addressed at a DOJ event in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/miami\/\">Miami<\/a> honoring victims of the 1996 Brothers to the Rescue shootdown on Wednesday, marks one of the rare instances in modern U.S. history in which a former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/130-countries-throw-support-behind-biden-global-minimum-tax-plan\/\" title=\"130 countries throw support behind Biden global minimum tax plan\">foreign head<\/a> of state has faced criminal prosecution in a United States court.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FILE \u2013 Cuba\u2019s President Raul Castro listens to the Cuban and Venezuelan national anthems during his welcome ceremony at the Miraflores presidential palace, March 17, 2015, in Caracas, Venezuela. (AP Photo\/Ariana Cubillos, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Federal prosecutors are expected to accuse Castro, 94, of playing a role in the Feb. 24, 1996, downing of two civilian aircraft operated by the Miami-based Cuban exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Cuban MiG fighter jets fired missiles at the planes, killing all four men aboard, including three U.S. citizens.<\/p>\n<p>Castro, the brother of the late Fidel Castro, who ran Cuba as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-bill-and-melinda-gates-foundation-linked-to-chinese-company-found-to-have-mined-americans-data\/\" title=\"Report: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation linked to Chinese company found to have mined Americans data\">communist state<\/a> for decades, was serving as Cuba\u2019s defense minister at the time of the incident. The Cuban government has long defended the attack as a lawful response to alleged violations of Cuban airspace, although the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/united-states\/\">United States<\/a> condemned the strike and later tightened sanctions on Havana.<\/p>\n<p>From 2008 to 2011, Castro ran Cuba as the leader of the country\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/communist-party\/\">Communist Party<\/a>. He stepped down from those positions more than a decade ago but maintains a role in Cuba\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/venezuelas-opposition-held-congress-extends-term-after-disputed-vote\/\" title=\"Venezuela\u2019s opposition-held Congress extends term after disputed vote\">national assembly<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The indictment comes as President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> has intensified efforts to isolate Cuba economically and politically while openly signaling support for regime change on the island. <\/p>\n<p>Earlier Wednesday, Trump declared that \u201cAmerica will not tolerate a rogue state harboring hostile foreign military, intelligence and terror operations just ninety miles from the American homeland.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"qme\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddfa <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/nwEePVJ1lX\">pic.twitter.com\/nwEePVJ1lX<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecRubio\/status\/2057069290637889876?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 20, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>Secretary of State <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/marco-rubio\/\">Marco Rubio<\/a> also posted a video message on Wednesday, speaking in Spanish, addressing the people of Cuba with an offer to begin a new relationship, adding that the U.S. could provide up to $100 million in aid.<\/p>\n<p>Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez responded to Rubio, calling him \u201cthe mouthpiece of corrupt and vengeful interests,\u201d but did not address the aid offer.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4572754\/cuban-president-warns-bloodbath-us-attacks\/\">CUBAN LEADER WARNS OF \u2018BLOODBATH\u2019 IF US ATTACKS AS TENSION RISES<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The move also recalls the Trump administration\u2019s earlier indictment of former Venezuelan President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nicolas-maduro\/\">Nicolas Maduro<\/a>, which preceded a U.S. operation that brought Maduro to New York to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/belarusian-authorities-raid-homes-and-offices-of-journalists-and-activists\/\" title=\"Belarusian Authorities Raid Homes And Offices Of Journalists And Activists\">face criminal charges<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Cuban officials did not immediately comment after the indictment Wednesday, although President Miguel Diaz-Canel warned earlier this week that any U.S. military action against Cuba <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4572754\/cuban-president-warns-bloodbath-us-attacks\/\">would lead to a \u201cbloodbath.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Raul Castro indicted in U.S., as Trump escalates pressure on communist Cuba<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2605094,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26063814228851.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[61377,80017,80016],"class_list":["post-2605091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-aviation-incident","tag-raul-castro","tag-us-doj"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26063814228851.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605091","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2605091"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605091\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2605096,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2605091\/revisions\/2605096"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2605094"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2605091"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2605091"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2605091"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}