US officials seek to indict former Cuban President Raul Castro: report

Published: 01:38, 15 May 2026 | Updated: 01:53, 15 May 2026 The United States is reportedly planning to indict former Cuban President Raul Castro in connection with the downing of planes 30 years ago. The potential indictment - which would need to be approved by a grand jury - is expected to focus on Cuba's deadly 1996 shootdown of planes operated by the humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue, CBS News reports.  Four men were killed when the two civilian aircrafts were shot down over the Florida Straits on flights focused on spotting Cubans fleeing communism in makeshift boats. The group would then relay their coordinates to the US Coast Guard.  Florida's Attorney General previously said at a news conference in March he was reopening a state investigation into the plane downing. At the same time, Miami's top federal prosecutor spearheaded a new initiative targeting Cuban communist leaders over economic crimes, drugs, violent crimes and immigration-related violations - specifically focusing on Communist Party leaders. Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott has also recently called on the Department of Justice to charge Castro and bring him to justice in the US.  Raul, 94, formally stepped down as the leader of Cuba's Communist Party in 2021, but he is still widely seen as one of the most powerful figures in the country.  The indictment comes as the US continues to put pressure on the Cuban government.  Former Cuban President Raul Castro is pictured at a celebration on May 1 This is a breaking news story and will be updated.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.