U.S. grand jury indicts Raul Castro, ex-Cuban president

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. grand jury indicts Raul Castro, ex-Cuban president May 20, 20261:53 PM ET Jaclyn Diaz Former Cuban President Raul Castro speaks during the National Assembly in 2018 in Havana, Cuba, after the country was led by the first non-Castro Cuban president since 1976. Alexandre Meneghini/Pool/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Alexandre Meneghini/Pool/Getty Images The U. Department of Justice has secured an indictment against Raúl Castro, the 94-year-old former president of Cuba, for an attack on a humanitarian group more than 30 years ago.

Castro and other former senior members of Cuban leadership are being charged with conspiracy to kill U. nationals, destruction of aircraft and four individual counts of murder, according to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. He announced the indictment at Miami's Freedom Tower, a historical site that's represented a beacon of refuge for Cubans who escaped the Castro regime and made it to Florida.

The Details

Sponsor Message The others charged are Lorenzo Alberto Perez‑Perez, Emilio José Palacio Blanco, José Fidel Gual Barzaga, Raul Simanca Cardenas, and Luis Raul Gonzalez‑Pardo Rodriguez. A grand jury in Miami brought the indictment on April 23. The DOJ alleges Castro was instrumental in shooting down two U.

The attack killed four people, including three U. citizens: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr. , Mario de la Peña and Pablo Morales, members of the anti-Castro activist group Brothers to the Rescue.

The organization flew over the waters off the Florida coast, looking for any Cuban migrants using rafts and other boats to escape to the U. The shooting prompted widespread condemnation among Cuban-Americans and led Congress to formally codify the U. embargo against Cuba, cementing sanctions that remain in effect today.

What Experts Say

Castro's indictment comes amid a potential opening of dialogue between the two nations; CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials, including Castro's grandson, during a visit to the island on May 14. The indictment marks a rare U. move against a former foreign head of state and comes amid a broader Trump administration pressure campaign against Cuba, including tightened sanctions on countries supplying fuel to the island — worsening blackouts and deepening its economic crisis.

Sponsor Message Politics CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Raul Castro's grandson in Havana, US and Cuban officials say Ratcliffe's meeting included Interior Minister Lázaro Álvarez Casas and the head of Cuban intelligence services, a CIA official told reporters on background. Intelligence cooperation, economic stability and security issues were on the table, the official said. The meeting was the highest-level diplomatic talk between the two countries since the U.

launched a fuel blockade against Cuba, which contributed to a prolonged economic crisis on the island, also hitting air travel and seriously disrupting food production and the operations of hospitals and schools.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.