Trump Administration Indicts Cuba's Raul Castro Over 1996 Plane Shootdown

The Trump administration has indicted former Cuban President Raul Castro in connection with the 1996 downing of two civilian aircraft operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue. The indictment, unsealed on Wednesday, marks one of the sharpest escalations in tensions between Washington and Havana in years. The US Justice Department alleges that Castro, Cuba's defence minister at the time, played a leading role in the decision to have Cuban fighter jets shoot down the planes on February 24, 1996. Castro is charged with one count of conspiracy to kill US nationals, four counts of murder and two counts of destroying an aircraft. Five co-defendants were also named.
Four people were killed in the attack: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr, Mario de la Pena, and Pablo Morales. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche described them as "unarmed civilians" engaged in "humanitarian missions for the rescue and protection of people fleeing oppression across the Florida Strait." Blanche said: "The United States and President Trump does not and will not forget its citizens. If you kill Americans, we will pursue you, no matter who you are, no matter what title you hold, and in this case, no matter how much time has passed."
Cuba's current leader, Miguel Diaz-Canel, dismissed the charges as an act of "political theatre," accusing the Trump administration of "lying and manipulating the events" of 1996 to make the case for military action against Cuba. Writing on social media, Diaz-Canel said: "This is a political manoeuvre, devoid of any legal basis, aimed solely at padding the dossier they are fabricating to justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba."

To discuss the latest developments, we are joined by Al Jazeera's Kimberly Halkett in Washington DC, Ed Augustin in Havana, and Lucia Newman in Santiago, Chile.

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