A federal criminal indictment was issued in Miami, Florida, charging Raul Castro, Cuba’s former president, and five others. Raul Castro, then Cuba’s defense minister, was charged with conspiracy to kill US nationals, four counts of murder, and two counts of destruction of aircraft. A co-defendant was a fighter pilot linked to a 1996 incident in which four men were killed after their aircraft were shot down during a humanitarian mission in the Florida Straits. The indictment alleges Castro ordered the attack. The indictment was issued amid heightened US-Cuba tensions, including threats of military action and an energy crisis tied to a tight US oil embargo that has led to blackouts and protests in Havana.
"The United States issued a federal criminal indictment against Raul Castro, Cuba's former president, and five others on Wednesday in a significant escalation of the Trump administration's campaign to oust the country's six-decades-old communist regime. The 94-year-old political figurehead was charged in Miami, Florida, with conspiracy to kill US nationals, four counts of murder and two counts of destruction of aircraft."
"Other defendants are a fighter pilot who was initially charged in connection with a 1996 incident in which four men were killed by the Cuban military when their aircraft were shot down during a humanitarian mission in the Florida Straits. Castro, Cuba's defense minister at the time, is alleged to have given the order to open fire."
"Speaking to reporters after the indictment was handed down, Trump said there won't be an escalation with Cuba. I don't think there needs to be, he said. Look, the place is falling apart. They've really lost control of Cuba. But the president hinted at US military control of Cuba among other sovereign nations and territories during his commencement speech at the US Coast Guard Academy."
"The indictment, in US district court for the southern district of Florida, comes at a time of heightened tension between the US and Cuba. Donald Trump has threatened military action against the Cuban government, and an energy crisis created by a tight US oil embargo has caused rolling blackouts and prompted protests in the capital."
Read at www.theguardian.com
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