{"id":869,"date":"2026-05-20T19:45:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T19:45:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arabnewsmonitor.com\/2026\/05\/20\/raul-castro-indicted-whats-next-for-cuba\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T19:45:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T19:45:35","slug":"raul-castro-indicted-whats-next-for-cuba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/?p=869","title":{"rendered":"Raul Castro indicted: What\u2019s next for Cuba?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Charges against the former Cuban president mirror the pretext used by the US to kidnap Nicolas Maduro<\/strong><\/p>\n

The indictment of former Cuban President Raul Castro by the US Justice Department marks the latest escalation in Washington\u2019s pressure campaign against Havana. Is President Donald Trump trying to repeat the Maduro playbook?<\/p>\n

What was Raul Castro charged with?<\/h2>\n

Unsealed on Wednesday, the indictment accuses Castro of ordering the shooting down of two American planes off the coast of Cuba in 1996. Castro and five of his officials are charged with conspiracy to kill US nationals, destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder, one for each of the Cuban-Americans killed in the shootdown.<\/p>\n

Castro, who was Cuba\u2019s defense minister at the time of the incident, \u201cparticipated in a conspiracy that ended with Cuban military aircraft firing missiles at those civilian planes and killing four Americans,\u201d<\/em> acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a press conference in Miami on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

What happened in 1996?<\/h2>\n

On February 24, 1996, Cuban fighter jets shot down two light aircraft which Havana said were violating its airspace. The planes \u2013 two Cessna 337 Skymasters \u2013 were operated by \u2018Brothers to the Rescue\u2019, a group of anti-communist Cubans and Americans led by CIA operative Jose Basulto. The group\u2019s official purpose was to help dissidents to leave Cuba, and to \u201csupport the efforts of the Cuban people to free themselves from dictatorship through the use of active non-violence.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\n \"Jose
\n Jose Basulto poses beside a ‘Brothers to the Rescue’ plane, 2006<\/p>\n


\n \u00a9\u00a0 National Security Archive <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, one of the organization\u2019s former pilots, Juan Pablo Roque, defected to Cuba two days before the planes were shot down and claimed that Brothers to the Rescue was involved in smuggling weapons on to the island to be used by anti-government guerillas.<\/p>\n

In a statement on Tuesday, Cuba\u2019s embassy in the US claimed that the organization\u2019s aircraft committed \u201cmore than 25 serious, deliberate and systematic violations\u201d<\/em> of Cuban airspace between 1994 and 1996. With the US refusing to heed Havana\u2019s written warnings, Cuba had \u201cno choice but the direct defense of its borders,\u201d<\/em> the embassy added.<\/p>\n

Ever since the incident, Basulto has pressed the US government to file criminal charges against Castro.<\/p>\n

Will Castro ever see a US courtroom?<\/h2>\n

There is no indication that Castro, who is now 96 years old, will ever appear in an American court. Cuba has limited diplomatic relations with the US, let alone an extradition treaty, and the Cuban government is highly unlikely to hand over Castro, a former president and revolutionary hero to the US, where he would face the death penalty if found guilty.<\/p>\n

Asked about the likelihood of Castro facing trial in the US, Blanche told reporters that \u201cwe expect that he will show up here by his will, or by another way.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

How has Cuba responded?<\/h2>\n

The indictment \u201conly reveals the arrogance and frustration that the representatives of the empire feel toward the unyielding resolve of the Cuban Revolution,\u201d<\/em> Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in a statement on X. \u201cThis is a political maneuver, devoid of any legal foundation, aimed solely at padding the fabricated dossier they use to justify the folly of a military aggression against Cuba.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

.@DiazCanelB<\/a> <\/p>\n

The purported accusation against Army General Ra\u00fal Castro Ruz, just announced by the U.S. government, only reveals the arrogance and frustration that the representatives of the empire feel toward the unyielding resolve of the Cuban Revolution and the unity and\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/jWbV1zDauk<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Cuban Embassy in US (@EmbaCubaUS) May 20, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Is the US planning regime change in Cuba?<\/h2>\n

Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have made no secret of their desire to overthrow Cuba\u2019s communist government. After indicting and abducting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January, Trump warned that Cuba was \u201cready to fall\u201d<\/em> next. In an interview with NBC News the day after the Maduro operation, Rubio stated \u201cIf I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I\u2019d be concerned.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"A
US manufacturing \u2018fraudulent case\u2019 for invasion \u2013 Cuban foreign minister<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The US then imposed an energy blockade on Cuba, while Trump made repeated threats that Cuba would be \u201cnext.\u201d<\/em> In a statement earlier on Wednesday, the US president said that \u201cAmerica will not tolerate a rogue state harboring hostile foreign military, intelligence and terror operations just ninety miles from the American homeland.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Three days earlier, US spies told Axios that they believe Cuba has acquired more than 300 military drones in preparation for an attack on the US military base at Guantanamo Bay and targets as far afield as Key West in Florida. Havana ridiculed the claims, accusing the US of fabricating a \u201cfraudulent case\u201d<\/em> for military intervention.<\/p>\n

While it is unclear whether Trump intends to order such intervention, the Pentagon announced on Wednesday that the USS Nimitz carrier strike group had entered the Caribbean. With more than 60 combat aircraft on board, the Nimitz is ideally placed to and equipped to launch military strikes, should they be ordered. Asked by reporters whether he planned to follow the indictment with military action, Trump replied \u201cI don\u2019t want to say that.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe potential for an invasion is much higher than it was 24 hours ago,\u201d <\/em>Daniel Shaw, a professor of Latin American Studies at City University of New York, told RT. \u201cThey\u2019re searching for some kind of legal and media justification to go in there, to take out some of these top leaders, and hoping then that the Cuban people will come into the streets so they can justify further penetration.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Doesn\u2019t this sound familiar?<\/h2>\n
\n \"Cuban
\n Raul Castro (R) presents Nicolas Maduro with the Jose Marti medal, Cuba’s highest state honor, at a ceremony in Havana, Cuba, March 18, 2016<\/p>\n


\n \u00a9\u00a0 Getty Images; \u00a0Sven Creutzmann <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Trump administration followed a similar pattern before kidnapping Maduro in a special forces raid on his Caracas residence in January. After threatening to depose Maduro \u201cthe easy way or the hard way,\u201d<\/em> Trump blockaded Venezuelan waters, deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford to the region, and unsealed an indictment against the Venezuelan president moments before the raid.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the Justice Department had charged Maduro with drug trafficking in 2020, the superseding indictment unsealed on the day of the raid added his wife and son, and \u2018Tren de Aragua\u2019 cartel boss Nino Guerrero to the list of those charged.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"CIA
CIA chief delivers message from Trump to Cuba (PHOTOS)<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The complete standdown by the Venezuelan military during Maduro\u2019s kidnapping has led many to believe that the US colluded with insiders in Caracas to arrange a bloodless raid and smooth transfer of power to Vice President Delcy Rodriguez. Despite a trip by CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Havana last week, in which Ratcliffe reportedly promised \u201cto seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes,\u201d<\/em> there is no indication that the Cuban government is willing to hand over Castro.<\/p>\n

In a social media post on Monday, Diaz-Canel warned that any military action against his country would result in \u201ca bloodbath with incalculable consequences\u201d<\/em> for the US.<\/p>\n

What does the US want from Cuba?<\/h2>\n

The US has demanded that Cuba cut ties with Russia, China, Iran, and pro-Palestinian armed groups. Last month, a US delegation visiting Havana reportedly urged Cuba to transition from socialism to a market-based economy and open the country to foreign investment. In short, Washington is seeking a complete dismantling of Cuba\u2019s communist system and of its foreign partnerships.<\/p>\n

In a Spanish-language video address on Wednesday, Rubio offered Cuba $100 million in aid, and, despite the US blockading the island, blamed Cuba\u2019s government for shortages of electricity, food and fuel. Rubio said that Washington will not allow the Cuban government to distribute the aid, and promised to help Cubans \u201cbuild a better future,\u201d<\/em> presumably after the overthrow of the government.<\/p>\n

\n

\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddfa pic.twitter.com\/nwEePVJ1lX<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) May 20, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Cuba\u2019s embassy in Washington accused Rubio of lying \u201crepeatedly and unscrupulously,\u201d<\/em> while subjecting the country to \u201ccruel and ruthless aggression\u201d<\/em> via the ongoing blockade.<\/p>\n

Shaw, who just returned from a month in Cuba, told RT that he witnessed \u201chunger, despair, and malnutrition\u201d<\/em> on the island as a result of the blockade, which he compared to \u201cthe tightening of the colonial noose around the neck of the Cuban people.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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