United States federal prosecutors have indicted Cuba’s former President Raul Castro in connection with the 1996 downing of planes operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue.The indictment, unsealed on Wednesday, marks one of the sharpest escalations in tensions between Washington and Havana in years.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listThe US Justice Department alleges that Castro, Cuba’s defence minister at the time, played a leading role in the decision to have Cuban fighter jets to shoot down two civilian aircraft on February 24, 1996.It has charged Castro with one count of conspiracy to kill US nationals, four counts of murder and two counts of destroying an aircraft. Five co-defendants were also named in the indictment.Four people were killed in the 1996 attack, which triggered international condemnation and deepened the strains between the US and Cuba.“ For nearly 30 years, the families of four murdered Americans have waited for justice,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said as he announced the charges at Miami’s Freedom Tower.“ My message today is clear: The United States and President Trump does not and will not forget its citizens.”He described the four men who were killed — Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre Jr, Mario de la Pena, and Pablo Morales — as “unarmed civilians” engaged in “humanitarian missions for the rescue and protection of people fleeing oppression across the Florida Strait”.“Nations and their leaders cannot b …
