U.S. Reportedly Preparing Indictment Against Raúl Castro Over 1996 Plane Shootdown

Thirty years after one of the deadliest confrontations between Cuba and the United States, the Trump administration is reportedly preparing to bring Raúl Castro to justice.

The United States is moving toward indicting the former Cuban president in connection with the 1996 shootdown of civilian aircraft operated by the humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue, according to officials familiar with the matter.

CBS News first reported the development, which Fox News Digital later confirmed through a source familiar with the discussions.

The potential indictment would target Castro, now 94, over the destruction of two Brothers to the Rescue planes that were shot down by Cuban fighter jets over international waters, killing four people aboard.

The move comes as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on the communist regime in Havana while simultaneously opening a high-stakes diplomatic channel.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Cuba on Thursday for rare face-to-face meetings with senior Cuban officials, including Raulito Rodriguez Castro, Interior Minister Lazaro Alvarez Casas, and the head of Cuban intelligence services.

According to officials familiar with the talks, Ratcliffe personally delivered a blunt message from President Trump: the United States is willing to seriously engage with Cuba on economic and security matters, but only if the regime makes “fundamental changes.”

A CIA official told Fox News that discussions centered on intelligence cooperation, economic instability, and regional security concerns.

Ratcliffe also reportedly warned Cuban officials that the island can no longer serve as a safe haven for America’s adversaries in the Western Hemisphere.

The timing is striking.

While diplomatic outreach was underway behind closed doors in Havana, the administration was simultaneously tightening sanctions on Cuba’s economic lifelines, particularly targeting foreign oil suppliers doing business with the regime.

The sanctions pressure campaign comes as Cuba struggles through rolling blackouts, severe fuel shortages, and worsening economic unrest.

Trump has also increasingly sharpened his rhetoric toward Havana.

Speaking earlier this month at the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches in Florida, the president joked that the United States would be “taking over” Cuba “almost immediately.”

“Cuba’s got problems,” Trump said. “We’ll finish one first. I like to finish a job.”

President Trump on Cuba:

“We will be taking over almost immediately. Cuba’s got problems. We’ll finish one first. I like to finish a job.”pic.twitter.com/eMqnjRJkHB

— The American Conservative (@amconmag) May 2, 2026

The possible indictment of Castro would mark one of the most aggressive legal actions ever pursued by the United States against a former communist Cuban leader.

And it would reopen one of the Cold War era’s most painful chapters.

On Feb. 24, 1996, Cuban MiG fighter jets shot down two unarmed civilian aircraft flown by Brothers to the Rescue, a Miami-based humanitarian organization that searched for Cuban rafters attempting to flee the island.

The attack killed four men, including three American citizens.

For decades, victims’ families and Cuban exile groups have demanded accountability.

Now, under Trump’s second administration, that reckoning may finally be approaching.

The message from Washington appears unmistakable: the era of looking the other way on Cuba may be over.

Watch the clip below:

JUST IN: The U.S. is moving to indict Raúl Castro, the 94-year-old former president of Cuba and brother of Fidel Castro, in connection with the deadly 1996 shootdown of two civilian planes operated by the humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue.

Fox & Friends: “CIA Director… pic.twitter.com/FIs53krezs

— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) May 15, 2026