[a video about Cuba from the news collective Belly Of The Beast]
Duration - 1:42

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has unsealed an indictment charging former Cuban President Raúl Castro, now 94 years old, along with five other Cuban officials, over the 1996 shoot-down of two civilian aircraft belonging to Brothers to the Rescue in which four people died.

At a press conference announcing the case, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche faced several key questions about the indictment, including why it took three decades to bring charges against Castro.

“I cannot explain or justify why now as opposed to two decades ago or 30 years ago when it happened,” Blanche said.

He also declined to discuss evidence beyond what appears in the indictment itself.

Another major question remains unresolved: how the U.S. plans to bring the 94-year-old Cuban leader to trial from a country that has no extradition treaty with Washington.

Blanche said the DOJ expects Raúl Castro to appear “by his own will or by another way.”