The US Government’s Wednesday charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro are over 30 years in the making, and could be grounds for a military operation on the island.
Castro was charged with conspiracy to kill US nationals, destruction of an aircraft, and four counts of murder for deciding to shoot down two civilian aid planes in 1996.
According to the indictment, the two planes, which belonged to the Cuban-American aid group Brother to the Rescue, were outside of Cuban airspace when they were downed.
"All orders to kill by the Cuban military traveled through [the armed forces'] chain of command with [Raúl Castro] and Fidel Castro as the final decision makers," prosecutors said.
Five other Cuban citizens were charged in connection.
Castro was the country’s defense minister at the time.
While Castro stepped down from Cuban politics in 2021, he is still viewed as an extremely powerful figure in the country. Cuba’s communist party is currently led by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who hit out at the indictment in a statement.
Castro: US strike would trigger 'bloodbath'
He said that if the US were to strike Cuba, “it would trigger a bloodbath with incalculable consequences, plus the destructive impact on regional peace and stability.
“Cuba poses no threat, nor does it have aggressive plans or intentions against any country. It has none against the US, nor has it ever had any, something the government of that nation knows full well, particularly its defense and national security agencies,” he added.
After Trump kidnapped former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, he began to say that Cuba would be next.
In March, he said that he believed he would have "the honor of taking Cuba."
"Taking Cuba in some form, yeah," he said. "Taking Cuba. I mean, whether I free it, take it - I think I could do anything I want with it, if you want to know the truth."
On Wednesday, he seemed to switch tactics, claiming that he didn’t think that a takeover would be necessary.
“It’s a failing nation. You see that. It’s falling apart. They have no oil, they have no money,” Trump said on Wednesday. “But we’re there to help, we’re there to help the families, the people.”
Notably, acting US Attorney-General Todd Blanche said that “we expect he [Castro] will show up here, by his own will or another way.”
When asked by reporters how the US plans to try Castro, Blanche doubled down and said that there is a warrant out for Castro’s arrest.
“This isn't a show indictment," he said, adding that “there's all kinds of different ways” to bring Castro to the country to face trial.
The indictment, further, spares no criticism of the Castro regime.
"The Castro Regime established and maintained control over Cuba and her people through a reign that eliminated dissent, preserved their power, territory, and reputations, and, through expropriation and nationalization of private business, funded those objectives," the indictment reads.
Rubio: Regime change 'great benefit' to US
Perhaps most vocal about the administration’s goal of regime change in the communist nation is Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants.
In January, he testified to Congress that "we would love to see the regime there change," and said it would be of "great benefit" to America.
The indictment comes after CIA Director John Ratcliffe went to Havana to meet with Cuban officials in an extremely rare meeting. Ratcliffe reportedly told CIA officials that the US was prepared to engage with Cuba on economic and security issues if Havana made “fundamental changes.”
Lawrence Gumbiner, Trump’s envoy to Havana during his first term, suggested that a structure similar to what happened in Venezuela would be possible in Cuba in an interview with CBS News last week.
"The first steps would be economic openings," Gumbiner said. "I think the clear message will be like it is with Ms. [Delcy] Rodriguez, that you will do as we say, or else."
He did say that the “or else” carries the promise of a military threat.
However, Gumbiner noted that while some members of the administration, such as Rubio, would want full-scale regime change, it would require a significant amount of American-backed effort.
"It's important to realize that Trump, he does not want to do nation-building," Gumbiner told CBS.
"Rebuilding Cuba would be a nation-building exercise if you want to redo it in a democratic, pluralist model. Whereas, making economic changes piecemeal is easier."
He then went on to say that Trump likely views action with Cuba as an opportunity for US businesses rather than a chance for true regime change.
"Whether it's shipping, whether it's transportation, whether it's tourism, whether it's construction, I think Trump sees Cuba as kind of virgin territory, where it's been kind of dormant for six decades, and where the US business community can come in and really dominate the scene.”