MIAMI, Sept. 29, 2026 | A federal magistrate judge in Miami has ordered Haitian-Palestinian businessman Samir Handal detained while he awaits trial, finding he poses a serious risk of flight and a danger to the community. The ruling came after a detention hearing on Monday in the widening U.S. prosecution over the July 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.

The detention ruling

Magistrate Judge Eduardo I. Sanchez held the hearing on Sept. 28, according to the court docket. Two federal agents testified under oath, FBI Special Agent Baxter Cohen and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Dominic Francis, and exhibits were admitted into evidence. The judge then granted the government’s request for pretrial detention.

Before the hearing began, the court granted three oral motions. It agreed to continue Handal’s arraignment and a status conference on his financial eligibility for appointed counsel, to set a hearing on his legal representation, and to hold the detention hearing itself. His arraignment, the counsel hearing and the status conference on partial indigency and Criminal Justice Act payment are now set for Oct. 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. before the duty magistrate judge in Miami. The docket does not say why the counsel hearing was requested, and the outcome will depend on what the court learns about his finances and representation.

What prosecutors allege

Reporting from the hearing says prosecutors portrayed Handal as an important supporter of the conspiracy. They allege he provided housing, food, fuel, money, radios and weapons to people involved. They cited communications from February 2021 in which he allegedly discussed military action against Moïse and later asked Christian Emmanuel Sanon whether he had found a house to live in as president. Prosecutors also claim he provided about $3,000 for food for the Colombian men shortly before the attack.

According to the government, after Moïse was killed Handal sent a message to his wife suggesting the president had been taken, and communicated with Sanon afterward, indicating he had everything ready to take Sanon to be sworn in as president.

The defense asked for release. Attorney Petruzzi proposed a $1 million personal surety bond secured by Handal’s Miami home, along with home confinement and surrender of his travel documents. The judge did not accept that package.

Who is Samir Handal?

Handal, 68, is a Haitian businessman of Palestinian origin who was arrested by the FBI at his home in Miami on Sunday, Sept. 20, on a newly unsealed indictment. The government has described him as a defendant in the Sixth Superseding Indictment filed on Sept. 22, which names dozens of defendants and includes forfeiture allegations. He is listed as defendant number 33 on the docket.

His name has been tied to this case for years. He was arrested at Istanbul Airport in November 2021 on a Haitian Interpol notice, when Haitian authorities described him as a suspect of interest. Haitian police said they found passports in his name at Sanon’s home. A Turkish court rejected Haiti’s extradition request and released him in August 2022. Handal has denied involvement in the assassination.

The broader case

Handal is one of 30 people the U.S. says it has now indicted over the assassination. Eighteen defendants were flown from Haiti to Miami on Sept. 20, including former Haitian Justice Ministry official Joseph Félix Badio and 17 Colombian nationals. Four men were convicted in May after a trial in Miami, and Sanon’s separate trial began this week.

What to watch

  • Oct. 9: Arraignment, the counsel hearing and the status conference on indigency and payment.
  • Detention challenges: Whether the defense seeks review of the detention order by a district judge or offers new release conditions.
  • Trial scheduling: How prosecutors group the newly added defendants.

Handal is presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. The allegations described above come from the government’s arguments at a detention hearing and have not been tested at trial.

Haiti Politic will continue to follow the case.