Overview
- The Justice Department is preparing to seek charges against 94-year-old Raúl Castro, U.S. officials said late Thursday, in a case tied to the 1996 downing of two Brothers to the Rescue planes.
- Any indictment requires grand jury approval, and officials described the timing as imminent, though there has been no public confirmation.
- The push tracks with a broader U.S. pressure campaign that has choked off fuel supplies and, on Thursday, included CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s talks in Havana offering $100 million in humanitarian aid in exchange for reforms.
- Prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida are leading the effort after forming a special working group, and international aviation investigators found the 1996 shootdown occurred over international waters.
- Families of the four men killed and several Miami lawmakers welcomed the move, while analysts and Cuban officials warned an indictment could harden positions and raise the risk of a sharper diplomatic confrontation.