The US Justice Department (DoJ) is pursuing an indictment against former Cuban President Raul Castro as it mounts pressure on Havana to toe its geopolitical line and open up the economy.
The Associated Press reported on Friday that the DoJ is seeking Castro's indictment linked to his alleged involvement in the 1996 shooting down of four planes of an exile group based in Miami, Brothers to the Rescue.
Castro was then Cuba's defense minister. Cuba has declined to comment on a probable indictment sought by the US, earlier reported by the CBS. The DoJ has also declined to comment.
The development comes a day after reports that CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Cuba to meet with intelligence officials and Raul Rodriguez Castro, grandson of former leader Raul Castro.
Ratcliffe was in Cuba to personally deliver President Trump's message that the "United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes," NBC News reported.
This is the first time a CIA chief has visited Cuba since the Communist revolution in the 1950s, according to Reuters. Ratcliffe reportedly conveyed Trump administration's message "that Cuba can no longer be a safe haven for adversaries in the Western Hemisphere."
An approval by a grand jury is required for any criminal charge against Castro, the AP report said.
Such a development would escalate tensions with Havana and heighten expectations of US military action in Cuba similar to the Venezuela operation carried out in January. The US had orchestrated the ouster of the Venezuelan President Nicolàs Maduro to New York on drug trafficking charges in January.
After the Venezuela operation itself, the Trump administration had ordered a blockade of fuel shipments to Cuba. This has spurred severe blackouts and economic misery to the island, triggering food shortages and the breakdown of industrial activity.
Cuban officials have reportedly conveyed to Ratcliffe that it does not pose a threat to US national security. Cuban Interior Minister Lázaro Alvarez Casas and the countryʼs intelligence chiefs attended the meeting, Reuters reported. Cuban and US officials had acknowledged talks between the two sides.
The CIA chief reportedly told the Cuban officials to imbibe lessons from the ouster of Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro. Ratcliffe had visited Venezuela after the operation that deposed Maduro.The CIA director had held talks with interim President Delcy Rodriguez to discuss the Trump administration's desire for cooperation.
Cuban Energy Minister Vicente de la O Levy has said the country has run out of oil and diesel and only has gas left. The US allowed a shipment from Russian oil to dock in the island in March.
Though the Iran war has not ended, the uneasy ceasefire in the Middle East has prompted unconfirmed reports that the US may be turning its attention again to Cuba.The US has reportedly demanded that Cuba cut ties with Russia, China, Iran and the opening up of Cuba's economy.
