The Government of the United States evaluates presenting formal charges against former Cuban president Raúl Castro for his alleged responsibility in the shooting down of two planes of the org anization Brothers to the Rescue in 1996, an incident that left four dead and caused one of the largest diplomatic crises between Washington and Havana in recent decades.

According to information disseminated by the CBS network and confirmed by sources cited by Reuters, the possible indictment would require the approval of a federal grand jury and would be related. a with the air attack that occurred on 24 February 1996, when MiG fighters of the Cuban Air Force shot down two civilian Cessna aircraft operated by the humanitarian group of Cuban exiles.

The US authorities have maintained for years that the planes were shot down in international waters of the Strait of Florida, while so the Cuban Government has defended that the aircraft violated the airspace of the island and represented a threat to national security.

The possible judicial process emerges amid the hardening of the foreign policies of the administration of President Donald Trump towards Cub a, marked by new economic sanctions, oil restrictions and increasing diplomatic pressures against the Government of Miguel Díaz-Canel.

So far, the Department of Justice has not officially confirmed the investigation or issued public comments on the case.

The case relives one of the most tense episodes between Washington and Havana

The shooting down of Brothers to the Rescue planes caused international outrage in 1996 and led then US president Bill Clinton to condemn the action of the Cuban Government “in the strongest terms possible.”

An investigation by the Organization of American States (OAS) later concluded that the planes were attacked outside Cuban airspace and that the use of force violated norms of international law.

At that time, the deceased Cuban leader Fidel Castro headed the Government of the island, while Raúl Castro led the Revolutionary Armed Forces.

The case also led to the conviction in the United States of Cuban agent Gerardo Hernández, accused of conspiracy to commit murder for transmitting information about Herm's flights. years to the Rescue to the Cuban intelligence services. Hernández was sentenced to life in prison, although he later returned to Cuba as part of a prisoner exchange in 2014.

Last March, Florida's Republican Senator Rick Scott stated that he hoped Castro would be brought to US justice, while Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, publicly welcomed the reports of a possible indictment.

CIA visit increases diplomatic tension

The information about the possible accusation revealed on the same day that the CIA director, John Ratcliffe, held meetings in Havana with function Cuban narios and with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as “Raulito”, considered one of the most trusted men of the ex-Cuban president.

According to U.S. officials cited by local media, Ratcliffe transmitted a direct message from the White House regarding Washington's willingness to discuss economic and security issues, as long as the Cuban government implements “fundamental changes.”

In parallel, federal prosecutors in Miami have intensified investigations directed against members of the Cuban leadership for alleged crimes related to drug trafficking, corruption, immigration violations and financial operations.

Raúl Castro, 94 years old, officially left the leadership of the Communist Party in 2021, although continues to be considered one of the most influential figures within the Cuban political system.

The new judicial and diplomatic offensive occurs at a time of deep economic crisis on the island, marked by constant blackouts, fuel and food shortages, in addition to the growing deterioration of relations between Washington and Havana.