The US Justice Department is preparing to indict former Cuban President Raúl Castro, 94, over the 1996 shooting down of two planes flown by the US-based Cuban exile group Brothers to the Rescue, officials said today [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].

On February 24, 1996, Cuban jets intercepted and shot down the planes, killing four people [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. At the time, Raúl Castro was Cuba's armed forces minister. He later succeeded his brother Fidel Castro as president [1, 3, 5].

The indictment must be approved by a US grand jury and is expected to be unsealed in Miami on May 20, 2026. The timing coincides with an event honoring the victims of the 1996 incident [1, 2, 4].

A US delegation led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe recently met Cuban officials in Havana, including Raúl Castro’s grandson, as part of ongoing diplomatic contacts amid the unfolding legal action [1, 2, 3, 5].

The indictment has drawn support from Florida officials; Governor Ron DeSantis called the charges against Castro "long overdue" and Florida's Attorney General backs reopening related investigations [1, 2]. US Cuban American politicians have voiced strong criticism, with Senator Marco Rubio saying "I don’t think we’re going to be able to change the trajectory of Cuba as long as these people are in charge" [2].

Meanwhile, Cuba is grappling with severe fuel shortages amid a US-imposed oil blockade. Cuba's energy minister Vicente de la O Levy confirmed the country has "absolutely nothing" left in fuel oil reserves, prompting widespread blackouts for its 11 million people [2, 3]. This crisis marks a worsening of conditions on the island in 2026 [1, 2, 3].

Former US President Donald Trump commented, "But [Cubans] need help, as you know. And you talk about a declining country. They are really a nation, a country in decline" [1].

The indictment marks a rare criminal case naming a former head of state for actions decades earlier. Legal experts like Cuban American lawyer Pedro Freyre have noted, "You can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich," suggesting indictment likelihood [2].

US prosecutors are expected to formally announce the indictment May 20, coinciding with a Miami ceremony commemorating the shooting victims [4].