The Trump administration is expected to announce criminal charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro on Wednesday, according to a U.S. Justice Department official.
The charges stem from a 1996 incident where Cuban jets shot down two planes operated by the Cuban exile group Brothers to the Rescue, killing all four aboard.
The Miami U.S. Attorney's office will host an event honoring the victims. The Justice Department will make an announcement in conjunction with the ceremony, though details remain unconfirmed.
President Donald Trump has sought regime change in Cuba, where communists have ruled since Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution. The U.S. has imposed a blockade, threatening sanctions on countries supplying fuel to the island.
Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez expressed defiance on May 15, stating the country continues on a path towards socialist development despite the embargo.
Raul Castro, 94, was defense minister at the time of the shootdown. He later succeeded his brother as president and remains a powerful figure. The Cuban government argued the strike was a legitimate response to airspace intrusion.
Fidel Castro said Raul did not give a specific order to shoot. The U.S. had not previously pursued charges against either Castro. In 2003, three Cuban officers were indicted but never extradited.
The International Civil Aviation Organization concluded the shootdown occurred over international waters.
Trump has threatened that Cuba is next after Venezuela, while Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel warned that any U.S. military action would lead to a bloodbath.
