WASHINGTON DC: The United States has charged former Cuban leader Raul Castro and five others over the 1996 downing of two aircraft belonging to the Cuban-American group Brothers to the Rescue, which killed four people, including three Americans.

The charges, announced Wednesday (local time) in Miami by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, include conspiracy to kill US nationals, destruction of aircraft, and four counts of murder.

The incident occurred between Cuba and Florida when Cuban fighter jets shot down the planes operated by the exile group Brothers to the Rescue.

Castro, now 94 and then head of Cuba’s armed forces, faces charges carrying possible life sentences, while the murder counts carry a maximum penalty of death or life imprisonment under US law.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel dismissed the indictment as “a political manoeuvre” without legal basis and accused Washington of distorting facts surrounding the incident. He said Cuba acted in “legitimate self-defence within its jurisdictional waters.”

The move comes as the administration of US President Donald Trump increases pressure on Cuba through sanctions and restrictions targeting the island’s economy.

Blanche said an arrest warrant had been issued for Castro, though he did not confirm whether the US would attempt to capture him.

Castro, the younger brother of late Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, retired from active government roles nearly a decade ago but remains an influential figure in Cuba.