A grand jury from the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida indicted Raul Castro, former Cuban president and a leader of the Cuban Revolution, on Wednesday for his alleged role in ordering the striking down of two planes operated by a US-based Cuban exile group named "Brothers to the Rescue" in 1996.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on social media platform X that the charges are a "political maneuver" with no legal basis whatsoever.

The charges "only reveal the arrogance and frustration of the empire's representatives in the face of the unwavering resolve of the Cuban Revolution and the unity and moral strength of its leadership," Diaz-Canel said on Wednesday.