The Justice Department plans to indict former Cuban President Raúl Castro Wednesday, a move that coincides with the island’s independence day and a threat from President Trump to invade the island.
NewsNation, the Hill’s sister network, confirmed the Justice Department plans to indict Castro, while Reuters reported that an indictment has already been returned.
Prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida have a press conference slated for Wednesday afternoon that will include Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, to be held “in conjunction with a ceremony to honor the victims of the Brothers to the Rescue.”
Four men were killed in 1996 when their planes, searching for those potentially seeking to leave the island, were shot down by the Cuban military, which was led by Castro at the time.
Castro, now 94, stepped down as president in 2018, but is considered by the U.S. to still be the effective leader of the country.
In indicting Castro, the U.S. is laying a similar groundwork that led to the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was also indicted in a U.S. court before armed forces seized him from his compound.
It’s unclear what action may await Castro and Cuba, but CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with officials on the island last week to convey that the window for negotiations will not be open indefinitely.
