The U.S. is reportedly moving to indict former Cuban leader Raúl Castro over the 1996 shootdown of two civilian planes that killed four people, including Americans, according to reports citing U.S. officials. The case, if filed, would mark a major new escalation in long-running tensions between Washington and Havana, where Castro remains a symbolic figure despite stepping away from formal power years ago.
Cuban officials have pushed back against the move, calling it politically motivated, while U.S. lawmakers in Florida have pressed for accountability over the decades-old incident. The reported action comes at a time of renewed strain in U.S.-Cuba relations, with both sides also facing pressure from Cuba’s worsening economic crisis.
