The Justice Department is seeking to indict 94-year-old Raul Castro, the former leader of Cuba, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
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One of the officials says the case is related to the 1996 shoot down by Cuba of two Brothers to the Rescue humanitarian planes.
Federal prosecutors must present any indictment to a grand jury that determines whether the case moves forward. The possible potential indictment was first reported by CBS News.
NBC News had earlier reported that the Trump administration had begun exploring whether federal prosecutors could charge members of Cuba’s regime or the Communist party with crimes. The source said the multiagency effort was being led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
The move towards charging Raul Castro, who still wields immense power in Cuban society despite officially stepping down as president in 2018 and as secretary of the Communist party in 2021, comes as the island faces a growing energy crisis amid the Iran war and following the U.S. capture of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, which had been a key source of oil for Cuba. Protests have erupted in Cuba amid fuel shortages and blackouts.
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CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials in Havana on Thursday, according to a CIA official and a statement from the Cuban government.
Returning from his trip to China on Friday, President Trump was asked about the possibility of a Castro indictment and he said it was up to the DOJ to comment on it.
“You talk about a declining country, they are really a nation or a country in decline,” Trump said aboard Air Force One. “So we’re going to see.”
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This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.