U.S. President-elect Donald Trump was among the first major U.S. political figures to comment on former Cuban president Fidel Castro's death.

Early Saturday morning, Trump tweeted simply, "Fidel Castro is dead!"

Trump later released an official statement, calling Castro a "brutal dictator," and leaving little doubt as to how he felt about his leadership in Cuba.

"Today, the world marks the passing of a brutal dictator who oppressed his own people for nearly six decades. Fidel Castro's legacy is one of firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and the denial of fundamental human rights," the president-elect's statement started.

He went on to express hope that Castro's death would mark a change in the future direction of the Cuban government.

"While Cuba remains a totalitarian island, it is my hope that today marks a move away from the horrors endured for too long, and toward a future in which the wonderful Cuban people finally live in the freedom they so richly deserve," he said.

"Though the tragedies deaths and pain caused by Fidel Castro cannot be erased, our administration will do all it can to ensure the Cuban people can finally begin their journey toward prosperity and liberty."

Source: MENA