by WorldTribune Staff, May 20, 2026 Non-AI Real World News

The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday announced a slew of felony charges, including murder, against former Cuban dictator Raul Castro.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated during a press conference in Miami that a federal grand jury indicted Castro and five co-defendants of charges of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder, in connection with a 1996 incident where Cuban jets shot down humanitarian flights of the Cuban exile group Brothers to the Rescue.

The indictment closely mirrors the strategy used against Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. Before being captured by U.S. forces in Caracas, Maduro was indicted by the U.S. on drug-trafficking charges.

On Feb. 24, 1996, Cuban MiG fighter jets shot down two unarmed civilian planes operating in international airspace. The attack killed four individuals, three of whom were American citizens.

Raul Castro, 94, served as Cuba’s defense minister at the time the plane was shot down. He took over as dictator in 2008, following the illness of his brother Fidel Castro. Fidel Castro died in 2016.

“Raúl Castro may be 94 years old, but justice has no expiration date,” Florida state Rep. Juan Porras told the Daily Signal. “The United States is moving to indict him for crimes that tore families apart, just like mine.”

Porras added that the Trump Administration “is doing what no administration before had the courage to do,” calling the indictment “the first step toward a free Cuba.”

Cuban American and Vice-Mayor of West Miami Ivan Chavez Jr. said: “As vice mayor of the City of West Miami and as a proud Cuban American, this indictment carries tremendous significance for our community. It sends a clear message that America, under President Donald Trump and West Miami’s own hometown hero, Secretary Marco Rubio, will no longer tolerate or appease the brutal communist Castro regime.”

The Justice Department said in a press release: “Over three decades later, we are committed to holding those accountable for the murders of four brave Americans: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “For the first time in nearly 70 years, senior leadership of the Cuban regime has been charged in the United States for alleged acts of violence resulting in the deaths of American citizens. President Trump and this Justice Department are committed to restoring a simple principle: if you kill Americans, we will pursue you. No matter who you are. No matter what title you hold.”

“Today’s superseding indictment of Raul Castro and five Castro regime co-defendants is a major step toward accountability in the 1996 murders of four Brothers to the Rescue members – including three U.S citizens – Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandro Jr, Mario de la Pena, and Pablo Morales,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “For 30 years these families have waited for answers – and this FBI never forgot. We will continue working with our Justice Department partners to bring to justice those who attacked our civilians.”

“For 30 years, the families of these men have waited. The Miami community has waited. Our country has waited. Today is a step toward accountability,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “This passage of time does not erase murder. It does not diminish the value of these lives. And it does not weaken our commitment to the rule of law.”

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  U.S. indicts Raul Castro in parallel with Maduro tactics, WorldTribune.com