Raúl Castro Indicted In US Over 1996 Brothers To The Rescue Plane Deaths

American authorities have brought criminal proceedings against former Cuban president Raúl Castro, accusing him of involvement in the 1996 destruction of two civilian planes flown by the exile organisation Brothers to the Rescue. Four people died in the attack, among them U.S. citizens.

Prosecutors in the United States said a federal court in Miami unsealed the indictment on Wednesday. The counts listed include conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, murder, and destroying an aircraft.

The matter stems from the 1996 episode in which Cuban military jets brought down the planes. Washington maintains the aircraft were in international airspace, a position Cuba has long rejected.

The indictment adds fresh strain to already tense relations between the United States and Cuba. U.S. officials are presenting the case as an attempt to make foreign leaders answer for alleged wrongdoing, while Cuban authorities and other critics say it is driven by politics.