U.S. Plans Indictment of Raúl Castro Over 1996 Brothers to the Rescue Shootdown

Overview

• A Justice Department official said late Thursday that prosecutors plan to seek charges against the 94-year-old former Cuban leader, with any case requiring grand-jury approval.
• The prospective case would center on the fatal 1996 downing of planes flown by the exile aid group Brothers to the Rescue.
• Federal prosecutors in Miami are preparing the case and may make it public next week, according to a Justice Department source.
• CIA Director John Ratcliffe met senior Cuban officials in Havana on Thursday and said the U.S. would discuss economic security only if Cuba makes fundamental changes, according to a CIA official.
• The push comes as the White House tightens sanctions and restricts fuel shipments to Cuba, a squeeze that has driven widespread blackouts across the island.