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The United States (US) has charged former Cuban president Raúl Castro with murder and conspiracy over the 1996 shootdown of two civilian planes, but President Donald Trump has signalled he is not planning military action against the communist island.
“We expect that he will show up here by his own will or by another way and go to prison,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told a news conference in Miami’s Freedom Tower, a historic symbol for Cuban exiles.
The indictment against the 94-year-old Castro, who led Cuba from 2008 to 2018, accuses him of conspiracy to kill Americans, murder and destruction of aircraft. Four people died in the incident, including three US citizens.
Trump, who used a domestic indictment in January to justify military action that toppled Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro, called the charges a “very big moment” but downplayed prospects of similar action against Cuba.
“There won’t be escalation. I don’t think there needs to be. Look, the place is falling apart. It’s a mess, and they sort of lost control,” Trump told reporters.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel dismissed the US action, saying on X that the indictment has “no legal basis.” He accused Washington of fabricating a case “to justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba.”
Five other Cubans were also charged, including the air force pilots who shot down the planes.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, himself a Cuban-American, delivered a video message to the Cuban people in Spanish, accusing Havana’s leadership of theft, corruption and oppression.
“President Trump is offering a new path between the US and a new Cuba,” Rubio said.
“A new Cuba where you have a real opportunity to choose who governs your country and vote to replace them if they are not doing a good job.”
Rubio has also dangled $100 million in aid to Cuba if it takes steps to open up.
“In the US, we are ready to open a new chapter in the relationship between our people and our countries,” Rubio said.
“And, currently, the only thing standing in the way of a better future are those who control your country.”
