President Donald Trump refused this Friday to confirm or deny reports of a possible criminal charge from the Department of Justice against Raúl Castro, responding to questions from the press aboard Air Force One during his return to the United States after a state visit to China.
When a journalist asked him about reports that the Department of Justice is moving forward with an indictment against the former head of the Cuban Armed Forces, Trump responded: "Well, I don't want to comment on that. I'll let the Department of Justice weigh in. But they need help, as you know."
The leader took the opportunity to describe Cuba as a country in freefall: “When we talk about a declining country, they are truly a nation, a country in decay. So we will see. We have a lot to discuss about Cuba, but perhaps today is not the day.”
Reports about the possible indictment were published on Thursday by CBS News, citing official sources from the Department of Justice. According to that information, the indictment still needs to be approved by a grand jury, and the exact timing had not been determined.
The accusation would focus on the downing of the February 24, 1996 incident, when MiG-29 fighters from the Cuban Air Force shot down two unarmed Cessna planes belonging to the humanitarian organization Hermanos al Rescate over international waters, killing four Cuban Americans: Armando Alejandre Jr., Carlos Costa, Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales, whose bodies were never recovered.
The International Civil Aviation Organization determined that the shootdowns occurred between nine and ten nautical miles outside of Cuban airspace, in violation of international law.
Raúl Castro, aged 94 years, was the head of the Armed Forces at the time of the attack. Declassified FBI documents reveal the existence of a "Venice Operation," planned since February 13, 1996, to take down the aircraft.
Trump's statements come amid intense pressure on Havana. The director of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, traveled to Cuba and met with high-ranking officials of the regime, including Raúl Castro's grandson, conveying the message that Washington is willing to engage in dialogue only if Havana makes "fundamental changes."
The Florida Attorney General reopened the criminal investigation regarding the shooting down in March 2026, and Senator Rick Scott along with Cuban-American congress members formally requested that the Department of Justice charge Castro.
In November 2025, the Department of Justice had already arrested a former Cuban pilot accused of participating in the downing, Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguez, a 64-year-old retired colonel.
Any formal accusation would carry significant symbolic and political weight. Raúl Castro has never set foot on American soil, he is 94 years old, and there is no extradition treaty between Cuba and the United States.
Filed under: