Why Did the US Indict Raul Castro? He's Accused in a "No Good Guys" Story
A group founded by Cuban exiles, known as "Brothers to the Rescue," is at the center of the US Justice Department's decision to seek indictments against Cuban leader Raul Castro, a move that revives one of the lowest chapters in the bitter, decades-long relationship between the two countries.
TL;DR
- The US Justice Department is seeking indictments against Raul Castro related to the 1996 downing of two 'Brothers to the Rescue' planes.
- The group, founded by Cuban exiles, aimed to assist Cuban refugees and provocatively flew near Cuban airspace.
- Despite warnings, 'Brothers to the Rescue' continued operations, leading to Cuban fighter jets shooting down two of their planes on February 24, 1996.
- All four men in the downed planes died; a third plane narrowly escaped.
- Experts describe the incident as one where there were 'no good guys' due to mutual provocations and failures to de-escalate.
- Cuban intelligence agents had infiltrated 'Brothers to the Rescue,' a story later fictionalized in the movie 'Wasp Network.'
- Cuban pilots and their commander involved in the incident remain in Cuba and are outside US jurisdiction.
- In 2003, three men, including Lieutenant Colonel Lorenzo Alberto Perez-Perez, were indicted for murder, aircraft destruction, and conspiracy.