Ruptly
"The United States has charged former Cuban President Raul Castro with offences related to the downing of two US civilian aircraft 30 years ago, authorities announced on Wednesday. Castro, 94, faces charges of murder, conspiracy to kill US citizens and the destruction of two aircraft. Archive footage shows the former leader at a CELAC meeting in Belen, Costa Rica in 2015, as well as at various official events in Cuba. He can also be seen alongside political leaders including Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and former Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel. The charges were announced by Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche, alongside Attorney Jason Reding Quinones, FBI Deputy Director Christopher Raia, Senator Ashley Moody and the Attorney General of Florida. Blanche stated that the case against the former Cuban leader reflects President Donald Trump’s commitment that “if you kill Americans, we will pursue you.” According to the indictment, Castro, who was Cuba’s defense minister at the time, allegedly ordered the February 24, 1996 attack in which two aircraft operated by the organisation Brothers to the Rescue were shot down. Four people died in the incident, three US citizens and one Cuban legal resident, who was granted US citizenship posthumously. The Department of Justice also filed charges against other Cuban citizens allegedly involved in the downing of the aircraft. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel rejected the accusations against Raul Castro as politically-motivated, claiming they are “only intended to add to the fabricated case used to justify the madness of a military aggression against Cuba.” This confrontation comes amid decades of acrimony between the United States and Cuba, recently marked by the Trump administration’s blockade on fuel shipments to the island under threat of sanctions, which caused an energy crisis in the country."
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