The U.S. Justice Department’s consideration of indicting Cuban leader Raúl Castro centers on a Cuban exile organization called Brothers to the Rescue. This step could reopen one of the most strained chapters in the long and tense relationship between the two countries.
According to a person familiar with the investigation, the possible indictment is tied to Castro’s alleged involvement in the 1996 downing of four aircraft flown by the Miami-based exile group. At the time, Castro served as defense minister, effectively making him the second-highest-ranking official in Cuba after his brother, Fidel Castro.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on an active investigation.
What is the group Brothers to the Rescue?
Brothers to the Rescue began operating in 1980 during the unexpected emigration of 125,000 Cubans to the United States. Founded by emigré José Basulto, it aimed to help Cuban refugees in the Florida straits by dropping supplies from small planes and alerting the U.S. Coast Guard.
The monthslong crisis began after some Cubans protested the travel restrictions imposed by President Fidel Castro's communist government and Castro opened the port of Mariel to anyone who wanted to leave, filling the Florida straits with desperate people.
The Clinton administration changed immigration rules to discourage Cubans from heading north on rickety, makeshift boats. Meanwhile, Brothers to the Rescue, which is also known by its Spanish name Hermanos al Rescate, continued flying toward Cuban airspace and provoking Havana.
What happened with the planes?
On Feb. 24, 1996, three planes carrying members of Brothers to the Rescue entered a zone close to the 24th parallel, a short distance north of Havana and some of Cuba's highest-value targets.
Cuban fighter planes shot down two of the exiles' light aircraft, killing all four men aboard.
Was anyone charged?
In a story fictionalized in the movie “The Wasp Network,” U.S. counterintelligence caught five Cuban intelligence agents who had infiltrated Brothers to the Rescue. Two Cuban agents served long sentences and three were only released from custody in the prisoner exchange that came before former President Barack Obama's detente with Raúl Castro.
Two Cuban fighter jet pilots and their commanding officer have also been indicted — but have remained outside the reach of U.S. law enforcement — while living in Cuba.
