US planning to criminally indict ex-Cuban leader Raúl Castro

US planning to criminally indict ex-Cuban leader Raúl Castro32 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleWill GrantBBC's Mexico, Central America and Cuba correspondentAP via Getty ImagesThe US justice department is reportedly preparing to indict aging Cuban leader Raúl Castro in the coming days over the shooting down of two civilian aircraft three decades ago.The reported charges, which would need to be approved by a US grand jury, emerged as the director of the CIA travelled to Cuba to meet officials in Havana.Castro, 94, stepped down as Cuban Communist Party leader in 2021, ending his family's more than half a century in power. He led the country for 15 years, stepping in after his brother, Fidel, resigned.The potential indictment is the latest move in a US pressure campaign that has included an oil blockade and widespread sanctions.The charges are said to centre on the 1996 downing of two planes operated by the US activist-humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue. Unnamed US Department of Justice (DoJ) officials told US media the indictment could come as soon as next Wednesday.Watch: Expectant mothers in Cuba struggle under fuel blockadePresident Donald Trump declined to comment on Friday, telling reporters on Air Force One: "I'll let DoJ comment on it."He added: "But [Cubans] need help, as you know. And you talk about a declining country. They are really a nation, a country in decline."Trump has issued an oil blockade against Cuba, which has exacerbated fuel shortages. Cubans have been suffering from extensive blackouts, some of them nationwide, for months. Some hospitals have been unable to function normally and schools and government offices have had to close. This week the island's energy minister acknowledged that Cuba has, in essence, run out of fuel oil.Potential charges against Raúl Castro were unclear, but officials said the investigation centred on an attack on two small planes, which happened on 24 February...