By Olivia Gazis / CBS News — May 20, 2026
Washington — A federal grand jury in South Florida has returned an indictment charging former Cuban leader Raúl Castro and five others, court filings made public Wednesday show.
The indictment targets the 94-year-old Castro — brother of the late Fidel Castro and long viewed as one of Cuba’s most powerful figures — and accuses him in connection with the Cuban military’s fatal downing of two planes about 30 years ago. CBS News was first to report that U.S. authorities were preparing an indictment linked to the 1996 shootdown.
Court records show a judge granted a motion this week to unseal a superseding indictment against Castro, but the full text of the charges has not yet been released publicly. It is not clear from the filings what specific crimes are alleged.
Among the other defendants named is a fighter pilot who had been charged more than two decades ago in relation to the same incident. The filings do not state whether the additional defendants are in U.S. custody.
Legal experts say it is uncertain whether Castro will ever be brought to trial, because Cuba does not extradite its citizens to the United States. The prospect of prosecution is complicated by diplomatic and jurisdictional limits.
U.S. action against Castro represents a notable escalation in the Trump administration’s sustained pressure campaign against Cuba. Observers point to recent, high-profile cases involving other foreign leaders — including the 2020 indictment of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his subsequent capture and transfer to U.S. custody earlier this year — as examples of how such charges can play out in practice.
This is a developing story and CBS News will update with new details as court documents are posted and additional information becomes available.