The US justice department is reportedly preparing to indict aging Cuban leader Raúl Castro in the coming days over the shooting down of two aircraft three decades ago.
The reported charges, which would need to be approved by a US grand jury, emerged as the director of the CIA travelled to Cuba to meet officials in Havana.
Castro, 94, stepped down as Cuban Communist Party leader in 2021, ending his family’s more than half a century in power. He led the country for 15 years, stepping in after his brother, Fidel, resigned.
The potential indictment is the latest move in a US pressure campaign that has included an oil blockade and widespread sanctions.
The charges are said to centre on the 1996 downing of two planes operated by the US activist-humanitarian group Brothers to the Rescue.
Unnamed US Department of Justice (DoJ) officials told US media the indictment could come as soon as next Wednesday.
