Raul Castro charges: US indicts ex-Cuban leader and five pilots over 1996 civilian plane downing

US federal prosecutors have charged former Cuban President Raul Castro and five Cuban fighter pilots over the 1996 shooting down of small civilian planes flown by Miami-based exiles. The case was announced on Wednesday. It came as the Trump administration continued a pressure campaign against Cuba’s socialist government, according to the report.

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Investigators said the group planned to "terrorise, intimidate and retaliate\" against Cubans and the exile community. Prosecutors linked the allegations to aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue. Castro, now 94, was Cuba’s defence minister when MiG jets targeted the planes. The charges relate to activity around February 1996.

Raul Castro charges linked to Brothers to the Rescue

The indictment said five alleged co-conspirators served in the Cuban Revolutionary Air and Air Defence Force. Authorities claimed the pilots carried out training missions to locate and intercept aircraft off Cuba’s coast. Prosecutors said the training happened under Castro’s command. It was also directed by another alleged co-conspirator who was not charged.

US prosecutors alleged Castro approved deadly force after leaflets were dropped over Cuba in January 1996. The leaflets were described as pro-democracy messages. The filing also said Fidel Castro, Cuba’s president then, and Raul Castro were final decision-makers. Prosecutors accused them of ordering actions that led to deaths.

Brothers to the Rescue indictment names five Cuban pilots

The defendants were named as Lt. Col. Lorenzo Alberto Perez-Perez, Jose Fidel Gual Barzaga, Lt. Col. Luis Raul Gonzalez-Pardo Rodriguez, Emilio Jose Palacio Blanco and Raul Simanca Cardenas. The indictment accused all six, including Castro, of one count of conspiracy to kill US nationals. It also listed extra counts for some defendants.

Prosecutors said Perez-Perez and an uncharged pilot destroyed two planes on February 24, 1996. The indictment said the aircraft were in international airspace. Four Americans were killed, according to the allegations. Perez-Perez was also charged with murder and destruction of aircraft, along with Castro, prosecutors said.

Perez-Perez spoke on Cuban state television soon after the incident, the report said. \"We tried to dissuade their crew members, but they continued to dangerously approach the Cuban coast, and then we received the order to interrupt the flight of the first aircraft, Perez-Perez said at the time.\" \"Afterward, we conducted the same operation with the second plane, which also refused to change its direction.\"

Luis Raul Gonzalez-Pardo Rodriguez case in Brothers to the Rescue indictment

The indictment said a third plane was followed on the same day but not destroyed. Prosecutors said Gual Barzaga, Simanca Cardenas and Gonzalez-Pardo Rodriguez were involved in that pursuit. Gonzalez-Pardo Rodriguez, 65, was the only defendant in US custody. The report said he faced a separate immigration case.

Gonzalez-Pardo Rodriguez was indicted in November for alleged false statements in an immigration document. The US Department of Justice said he claimed he never received weapons or military training. Officials also said he denied serving in a military or police unit. Prosecutors said he later pleaded guilty in February and awaited sentencing later this month.

Indictment details about Cuban pilots and MiG jets

Less information was reported about Gual Barzaga, Palacio Blanco and Simanca Cardenas. Still, the indictment described roles during the flight operation. It said Perez-Perez and Palacio Blanco took off from San Antonio de los Banos airfield near Havana. Prosecutors said Perez-Perez sought authorisation to fire about 20 minutes later.

Authorities alleged Gual Barzaga and Simanca Cardenas sat together in a third fighter jet. The filing said Gonzalez-Pardo Rodriguez waited in a fourth jet, ready to deploy. Prosecutors claimed the pilots heard Perez-Perez request clearance over the radio. They allegedly later joined the pursuit of the third civilian aircraft.

The report said Perez-Perez had faced earlier US charges as well. He was indicted in August 2003, and was accused of murder, destruction of aircraft and conspiracy. The federal indictment also included an undated photo. It showed Gonzalez-Pardo Rodriguez and Perez-Perez studying a document beside a fighter jet, according to the report.

With inputs from PTI