Khaled Mashal's Brother Released from U.S. Prison

IQNA – Mufid Abdulqader Mashal, the half-brother of Khaled Mashal, the head of Hamas' political bureau outside Gaza, has been released from a U.S. prison after serving 16 years.

U.S. authorities released Mashal, who had been imprisoned for approximately 16 years on charges of financing the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and collaborating with the Holy Land Foundation, a charity organization, according to a Friday report by Russia Today.

Mufid Abdulqader, along with four other Palestinian-Americans, was sentenced to decades in prison by a U.S. court. Mufid was handed a 20-year sentence.

The Holy Land Foundation, once one of the largest Palestinian charities in the U.S., was headquartered in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas. Its operations were banned in the U.S. following the September 11 attacks.

The foundation focused on aiding Palestinian refugees, but U.S. courts claimed that its activities were aimed at financing Hamas.

Some international observers speculate that Mofid Mashal's sudden release might be linked to a potential prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas.

If this speculation proves accurate, further news on this exchange is expected in the coming days and weeks.

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