Justice Department says Mashaal’s brother was released from prison to ‘community confinement’

After a US official claimed the half-brother of senior Hamas official Khaled Mashaal was transferred to another detention facility — and not released entirely — a Justice Department spokesperson clarifies that Mashaal is in “community confinement.”

“We can confirm that Mufid Abdulqader [Mashaal], registration number 32590-177 is in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) in community confinement overseen by the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ (FBOP) Dallas Residential Reentry Management (RRM) Office and has a projected release date of December 12, 2025.”

“Community confinement means the individual is in either home confinement or a Residential Reentry Center (RRC, or halfway house),” the Justice Department spokesperson says in a statement to The Times of Israel.

“For privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not discuss release plans or procedures for any incarcerated individual,” the spokesperson adds.

An unnamed US official told reporters earlier this evening that Mashaal was merely transferred to another prison.

Footage posted on social media last week appeared to show Mofid Mashaal outside of prison, speaking to supporters over mobile video chat while being driven in a car – leading to reports of his release.

In 2009, Mofid Mashaal was sentenced to 20 years behind bars for financing Hamas. Following reports of his release, several Israeli media sites speculated that it could be tied to the ongoing hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas.