What to know about Raúl Castro’s indictment
On Wednesday the U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges against former Cuban president Raúl Castro, 94, and several others, in connection with a 1996 incident in which Cuban jets shot down two planes carrying exiled civilians, killing four.
U.S. officials, including Trump, would not say how, or when, the charges will be enforced.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said he expects Castro will “show up” in the U.S., “by his own will or by another way.”
But Trump brushed off a question about whether he’d launch an operation to extricate Castro like he did with Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro.
“I don’t wanna say that,” he told reporters.
Trump has pushed for regime change in Cuba, and warned Cuba was “next” after Maduro’s capture in January.
Cuban President Miguel DÃaz-Canel pushed back following claims by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the suffering of the Cuban people is the fault of the country’s communist government.
DÃaz-Canel blamed the suffering on U.S. blockades, saying the “collective punishment” is “becoming an act of genocide.”
While Cuban Americans welcomed the move to indict Castro, residents in Havana stood by their government and expressed a willingness to fight back against any American incursion.
