The administration of Donald Trump is preparing to unveil criminal charges against former Cuban president Raúl Castro next week in a move that would significantly escalate tensions between Washington and Havana, according to US Justice Department officials. Federal prosecutors are expected to unseal an indictment in Miami on May 20 linked to the 1996 shootdown of planes operated by the Cuban exile group Brothers to the Rescue.

According to officials cited in media reports, the indictment would focus on Castro’s alleged role in the incident in which Cuban military aircraft shot down two civilian planes, killing four people. At the time, Raúl Castro was serving as Cuba’s defence minister under the government of his brother, Fidel Castro. Cuba has long argued that the aircraft violated Cuban airspace, while US authorities and international investigators concluded the planes were operating over international waters.

The case would require approval from a grand jury before charges can formally proceed. Reports indicate that prosecutors in Miami are planning an event on May 20 to honour victims of the 1996 incident, signalling the symbolic importance the administration is placing on the matter. The potential indictment was first reported by the Miami Herald and later confirmed by Reuters and Associated Press sources.

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The development comes amid sharply rising tensions between the United States and Cuba. The Trump administration has intensified economic and diplomatic pressure on the communist-run island, describing the Cuban government as corrupt and ineffective while openly advocating political change. Recent US measures targeting fuel supplies and sanctions have contributed to worsening economic difficulties and power shortages in Cuba.

The issue has also drawn renewed attention after CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Havana this week and reportedly conveyed that Washington would engage with Cuba on economic and security matters only if the government implements “fundamental changes.” Analysts view the possible indictment as part of a broader strategy by the Trump administration to increase pressure on Havana, similar to previous legal actions pursued against former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

Raúl Castro, now 94, stepped down as Cuba’s president in 2018 and relinquished leadership of the Communist Party in 2021, though he remains a highly influential figure in the country’s political history. Any criminal indictment against him would represent one of the most dramatic legal actions ever taken by the United States against a former senior Cuban leader and could further complicate already strained relations between the two countries.

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