BEIRUT -- Lebanese authorities released Fadel Shaker, a pop star who became a militant, on bail Wednesday. Shaker had been held for months awaiting a retrial on charges of belonging to an armed group and money laundering. Judicial officials confirmed his release, stating he paid 500 million Lebanese pounds, approximately $5,500, for bail.
Shaker surrendered to Lebanese military intelligence last October after 12 years as a fugitive, having been in hiding in the Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon. He had been tried in absentia in 2020 and sentenced to 22 years in prison for supporting a "terrorist group" in connection with deadly street clashes in 2013 between Sunni militants and Lebanese army soldiers. The current probe into the allegations remains open.
Following his surrender, the initial sentence was nullified, and Shaker began his retrial in January under Lebanese law. During his testimony, he stated his close association with Sunni cleric Ahmed al-Assir and claimed to have received threats from Hezbollah and supporters of former Syrian President Bashar Assad. Shaker also asserted that he had distanced himself from al-Assir and disagreed with him prior to the 2013 clashes, and he has repeatedly denied participating in those events.
However, a video from the 2013 clashes, posted on YouTube, appears to show a bearded Shaker making aggressive remarks towards his perceived enemies and taunting the military. The 2013 clashes, which killed 18 soldiers, intensified sectarian tensions in Lebanon, exacerbated by the ongoing civil war in neighboring Syria. Ahmed al-Assir was convicted in 2017 and sentenced to death for his role in these clashes; he remains on death row.
Shaker, who achieved stardom across the Arab world in 2002, had previously announced he was giving up his music career to pursue religious devotion. While a fugitive, he released several songs, including one with his son that gained significant traction online.
After his release from a military facility in Beirut, Shaker is reportedly residing in a rented apartment. Neither Shaker nor his lawyer have responded to inquiries regarding his bail and release.