U.S. grand jury indicts Raul Castro, ex-Cuban president

Law U.S. grand jury indicts Raul Castro, ex-Cuban president May 20, 20261:53 PM ET Jaclyn Diaz Former Cuban President Raul Castro speaks during the National Assembly in 2018 in Havana, Cuba, after the country was led by the first non-Castro Cuban president since 1976. Alexandre Meneghini/Pool/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Alexandre Meneghini/Pool/Getty Images The U.S. Department of Justice has secured an indictment against Raúl Castro, the 94-year-old former president of Cuba, for an attack on a humanitarian group more than 30 years ago. Castro and other former senior members of Cuban leadership are being charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, destruction of aircraft and four individual counts of murder, according to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. He announced the indictment at Miami's Freedom Tower, a historical site that's represented a beacon of refuge for Cubans who escaped the Castro regime and made it to Florida. Sponsor Message The others charged are Lorenzo Alberto Perez‑Perez, Emilio José Palacio Blanco, José Fidel Gual Barzaga, Raul Simanca Cardenas, and Luis Raul Gonzalez‑Pardo Rodriguez. A grand jury in Miami brought the indictment on April 23. The DOJ alleges Castro was instrumental in shooting down two U.S. planes in 1996. The attack killed four people, including three U.S. citizens: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr., Mario de la Peña and Pablo Morales, members of the anti-Castro activist group Brothers to the Rescue. The organization flew over the waters off the Florida coast, looking for any Cuban migrants using rafts and other boats to escape to the U.S. The shooting prompted widespread condemnation among Cuban-Americans and led Congress to formally codify the U.S. embargo against Cuba, cementing sanctions that remain in effect today. Castro's indictment comes amid a potential opening of dialogue between the two nations; CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials, including Castro's grandson, during a visit to...