The US has charged former Cuban leader Raúl Castro with conspiracy to kill US nationals and other crimes over the downing of two planes between Cuba and Florida in 1996.
The case unveiled on Wednesday – a revival of charges originally from 2003 – accuses Castro and five others of shooting down aircraft belonging to the Cuban American group Brothers to the Rescue, killing four people, including three Americans.
Castro, now 94, was the head of the country's armed forces and faced international condemnation over the crash.
As the US seeks to exert increasing pressure on Cuba's communist rule, President Miguel Díaz-Canel called the charges a political manoeuvre, devoid of any legal foundation.
Speaking at Freedom Tower in Miami, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced that the US would also charge Castro with destruction of aircraft and four individual counts of murder over the deaths of Armando Alejandre Jr, Carlos Alberto Costa, Mario Manuel de la Peña, and Pablo Morales.
The United States, and President Trump, does not, and will not, forget its citizens, Blanche said.
The Justice Department's new charges target a key figurehead of Cuba's communist leadership at a time it faces intense US pressure to make substantial political and economic reforms.
I think the strategy is to increase the pressure gradually to the point where the Cuban government will give in and surrender at the bargaining table, said William LeoGrande, an expert on Latin American politics at American University.
The US has issued sanctions on Cuba and imposed a blockade on oil shipments, leading to blackouts and food shortages.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a message to the Cuban people timed to their independence day, stating, President Trump is offering a new path between the US and a new Cuba, while blaming the military-run conglomerate, GAESA, for the ongoing difficulties in Cuba.
In an aggressive response, Díaz-Canel accused the US of lying and imposing collective punishment on the Cuban people while framing the indictment as justification for potential military aggression against Cuba.
Asked about the potential for Castro to face charges in the US, Blanche confirmed there is a warrant for his arrest, expecting that Castro will eventually come to the US to answer the charges.
Nearly 95 years old, Castro remains a significant figure in Cuba, even after relinquishing active roles in government. Despite a thaw during the Obama administration, relations between the US and Cuba have become further strained under the current circumstances.
Some Cuban Americans celebrated the charges as necessary justice, reflecting the long-standing opposition to Castro's regime, while analysts questioned the implications of this move amidst broader geopolitical tensions.
Experts note that any collaborative approach by the US with the Cuban government will likely face backlash domestically within the Cuban diaspora, complicating future diplomatic interactions. The prospect remains that the Cuban government may not yield easily to US pressure as both sides prepare for ongoing confrontation.
