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Why was RaĂșl Castro indicted by the United States in 2026?

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In 2026 the U.S. Department of Justice indicted RaĂșl Castro and several former Cuban military officials in connection with the 1996 shooting down of two civilian aircraft operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Castro, who was Cuba’s defense minister at the time, was charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, murder, and destruction of aircraft. Cuban officials rejected the charges and defended Cuba’s actions as protection of national sovereignty.