The US indicted Raul Castro to have a pretext for invading the island, human rights lawyer Daniel Kovalik has told RT

The US has indicted former President Raul Castro to have a pretext to invade Cuba and eventually dominate the entire region, American labor and human rights lawyer Daniel Kovalik has told RT.

The US Justice Department indicted Castro and five officials on Wednesday for conspiracy to kill US nationals in the 1996 downing of two planes with anti-Castro activists that reportedly breached Cuban airspace.

Four people were killed in the incident, which fueled diplomatic tensions between the two nations. Havanna said at the time that the planes were connected with the US Air Force, and were repeatedly warned to divert before they were fired upon.

Speaking to journalists, acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said he cannot explain why the Justice Department chose to do it "now as opposed to two decades ago or 30 years ago" when the incident happened. The indictment came several months after US President Donald Trump warned that Cuba would be "next" after Venezuela was targeted for regime change.

READ MORE: Former Cuban President Castro indicted in US

"This is all part and parcel of a plan of the US to fully dominate the region," Kovalik said on Wednesday in an interview with RT, noting that the indictment comes shortly after the US kidnapped President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela and is threatening to do the same to former President Evo Morales in Bolivia.

Kovalik, who is currently serves as Colombian President Gustavo Petro's attorney in the US, also noted that the indictment is "a pretext for invading the island at a minimum to kidnap Raul Castro if not to try to overthrow the government." He stressed that the measure is "part and parcel of a plan of the US to fully dominate the region."

See the full interview below