U.S. Prosecutors Move Toward Indicting Raúl Castro in 1996 Shoot-down of Two Civilian Planes

U.S. officials familiar with the matter. One of the officials told NBC News the criminal action concerns two civilian planes on a volunteer mission that were downed by Cuba in 1996.

Four Cuban Americans were killed in the incident. Raúl Castro was head of the armed forces at the time of the 1996 plane shoot-downs. U.S.

On makeshift boats. The case has remained a sore point for Cuban Americans. Cuban American members of Congress wrote a letter to Trump in February asking the Justice Department to consider indicting Raúl Castro.

The Trump administration began exploring earlier this year whether federal prosecutors could charge members of the regime or the Communist Party with crimes, NBC News reported. U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

Federal prosecutors are actively working the case. It is not clear whether the case has gone before a grand jury yet. The possible indictment was first reported by CBS News. President Donald Trump said on Air Force One back from a China trip Friday that the Castro investigation was a question for the Justice Department.

“You talk about a declining country, they are really a nation or a country in decline,” Trump said. CIA Director John Ratcliffe was in Havana on Thursday meeting with Cuban officials, according to an agency official and a statement from the Cuban government. U.S.

,” according to a statement from its Communist Party. U.S. sanctions choke off critical supplies. A surprise military operation ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, neutering a critical ally for Havana.

Still, the Cuban regime has shown little sign of ceding power or offering major concessions as Washington demands, NBC News reported.