30 years ago, Cuba shot down a plane carrying Americans. Now former President Raul Castro could be indicted over it

Federal prosecutors are investigating whether to indict former Cuban President Raúl Castro for his involvement in the 1996 downing of two civilian planes operated by the Miami-based group Brothers to the Rescue. The planes, shot down near Cuba’s coast with heat-seeking missiles, killed three Americans and one US resident, according to congressional documents. The incident occurred during a mission to assist Cubans attempting to flee the island, with a third Brothers aircraft escaping unharmed. The US government has long maintained that the planes were unarmed and posed no threat, while Cuba accused the group of engaging in covert operations against its regime. Brothers to the Rescue, founded in 1991 by anti-regime Cuban exile José Basulto, described itself as a pro-democracy humanitarian organization focused on aiding Cubans fleeing the communist government of Fidel Castro. In response to the shootdown, the US government swiftly condemned the attack, and President Bill Clinton signed the Helms-Burton Act in March 1996, tightening sanctions on Cuba. The law remains the basis for the US embargo, requiring congressional approval to lift restrictions and prohibiting trade with Cuban government officials and communist party members. The act also mandated that sanctions remain in place until Cuba legalized political activity and held free elections. The Department of Justice has not confirmed whether Castro will be formally charged but will announce details in Miami on Wednesday during a ceremony honoring the victims. The potential indictment comes amid heightened US-Cuba tensions, including intensified sanctions under the Trump administration and an oil blockade. Castro, who was Cuba’s defense minister at the time of the incident, has not publicly addressed the allegations. The case reignites decades of strained relations between the two nations, with the 1996 shootdown serving as a catalyst for the US embargo’s expansion.