MIAMI (AP) 鈥� The Justice Department is preparing to seek an indictment against former Cuban President Ra煤l Castro, three people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Friday, as President Donald Trump threatens possible military action against .
One of the people told the AP that the potential indictment is connected to Castro’s alleged role in the 1996 shootdown of four planes operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Castro was defense minister at the time.
All three people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation.
The potential indictment 鈥� which would need to be approved by a grand jury 鈥� was reported earlier by CBS.
The AP reported in March that the U.S. Attorney in Miami had created a of prosecutors and federal law enforcement to build cases against top Cuban officials amid calls by several south Florida Republicans to reopen its investigation into Castro鈥檚 alleged role in the 1996 shootdown. To date, the U.S. has convicted only a single person of conspiracy to commit murder in connection to the shootdown.
As Trump seeks to wind down the war in Iran, speculation has been growing he may soon turn his attention back to Cuba after pledging earlier this year a if its leadership didn鈥檛 open up its economy to American investment and kick out U.S. adversaries.
met with Cuban officials including Castro鈥檚 grandson during a high-level visit to the island Thursday.
Castro, 94, took over as president from his ailing brother Fidel Castro in 2011 and then handed power himself to a handpicked loyalist, Miguel D铆az-Canel, in 2019. While he largely has avoided the spotlight since retiring in 2021 as head of the Cuban Communist Party, he is widely believed to wield power behind the scenes, a fact underscored by the prominence of his grandson, Ra煤l Guillermo Rodr铆guez Castro, who previously met secretly with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
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