After earlier reports that he had been freed, the story of Marine Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun keeps getting weirder: Marine’s Family Denies Reports of Release.

WEST JORDAN, Utah - The brother of a Marine corporal captured in Iraq is denying new reports that the serviceman has been released and has contacted family members.

“I hope we hear from him, but so far, nothing,” Mohamad Hassoun told The Associated Press.

CNN reported Wednesday that Wassef Ali Hassoun had been in touch with his family in Utah and Lebanon, telling them he had contacted the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and asked to be picked up at an undisclosed location in Lebanon.

When asked about the supposed call from Hassoun, his brother in Lebanon, Sami Hassoun, said: “We have nothing to say.” The US Embassy in Beirut said they have “no information.”

Secretary of State Colin Powell was asked at a news conference Wednesday whether the missing Marine had been in contact with the embassy.

“We have received reports he may be in contact with various individuals,” Powell said. “There are other reports he may be in Lebanon. I can’t confirm any of these.”