US escalates pressure on Cuba with indictment of former president Raúl Castro on criminal charges

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:00]30 years after the shoot down of two small planes belonging to a Cuban exile group, the US has indicted former Cuban President Raul Castro, the country's defense minister at the time of the incident. Today, we are announcing an indictment charging Raul Castro and several others with conspiracy to kill US nationals.

[00:00:28]>> [applause] >> Mr. Castro and the others are charged with additional crimes as well, including destruction of aircraft and four individual counts of murder.

[00:00:40]The US has been escalating pressure on Cuba for months, blockading fuel deliveries and threatening military action.

[00:00:47]President Trump has promised to conduct what he called a friendly takeover of the island unless Havana opens its economy to US investments.

[00:00:57]Well, we're going to see it's a failing nation. You see that as well. falling apart. They have no oil, they have no money. They It's a failing nation. So, I just can't tell you that. But, uh we're there to help. We're there to help the families, the people. And again, a lot of those people are related to me in the sense that I've had such a great relationship with Cuban Americans.

[00:01:17]They supported me at a 94% level. That's a pretty good level.

[00:01:21]And uh They're you know, they're they're relatives are there. So, we we got to on a humanitarian basis, we're there to help. Havana condemned the indictment as a political stunt to justify military action. But, analysts say the charges against 94-year-old Castro pose a real threat following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to face trial in New York.