DOJ to make announcement on Wednesday related to 1996 Cuba incident

May 19, 2026 4:17 PM EDT

A U.S. Justice Department logo or seal showing Justice Department headquarters, known as "Main Justice," is seen behind the podium in the Department's headquarters briefing room in Washington, January 24, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

May 19 (Reuters) - ‌The U.S. ​Justice ​Department said it will make an announcement in Miami, ‌Florida, on Wednesday in conjunction ⁠with a ceremony to honor the victims ‌of a 1996 ‌incident in which Cuban military jets killed four people.

The Trump administration ​plans to announce criminal charges against former Cuban president Raul ⁠Castro on Wednesday, according to a U.S. Justice ​Department official, in a move that would mark a step-up in ​Washington's pressure campaign ‌against the Caribbean island's communist government.

The official, speaking on ⁠the condition of anonymity, said federal prosecutors expect to unseal an indictment ⁠against Castro, 94, in Miami.

Castro was defense ​minister during the 1996 incident. The Cuban government has argued the strike was ‌a legitimate response to the planes intruding on Cuban ‌airspace.

The indictment would need to ⁠first be approved ‌by a ​grand jury.

(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya in Toronto; editing by Michelle ‌Nichols)



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