The individual known as the "QAnon Shaman," Jacob Chansley, was released this afternoon, according to a statement from his attorney. Per the statement, Chansley was transferred to a halfway house in Arizona, 14 months earlier than expected. He was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for his involvement in the assault on the Capitol in January 2021.
Chansley gained notoriety for the images in which he appears entering the Capitol dressed with a fur coat, horns and paint on his face. A spear with the American flag completed his look. Because of this outfit, and because of his relationship with the QAnon group, he got his nickname on social media. Chansley is to this day one of the most recognizable of the events of Jan. 6.
NEW - Police "acted as tour guide" for "QAnon Shaman" on Jan. 6pic.twitter.com/mN5AIQgePd
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) March 7, 2023
His release comes just weeks after new videos of the Capitol assault were unveiled on Fox News by Tucker Carlson. They showed how Chansley is escorted and guided by the police through the corridors of the Capitol. After these images were published, petitions for Chansley's release multiplied. Elon Musk himself opined that the QAnon Shaman should be released from prison.
According to prison records, Chansley has been in a residential halfway house in downtown Phoenix since Thursday. According to the record, he will be fully released on May 25, 2023. Chansley pleaded guilty in court to one count of obstructing an official proceeding.
Chansley's attorney, Albert Watkins, expressed his satisfaction in his statement to the media. "After serving eleven months in solitary prior to his sentence being imposed, and only 16 months of his sentence thereafter, it is appropriate this gentle and intelligent young man be permitted to move forward with the next stage of what undoubtedly will be a law abiding and enriching life," Watkins said.
