Lebanese singer turned fugitive militant Fadl Shaker surrendered to Lebanese authorities on Saturday after hiding for more than a decade in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain Al-Hilweh, the largest in Lebanon. Born to a Palestinian mother and Lebanese father, Shaker was accused of participating in deadly 2013 clashes in Sidon between supporters of Salafist Sheikh Ahmad Al-Assir and the Lebanese military, which resulted in the deaths of 17 soldiers.
Though a supporter of Al-Assir, Shaker denied involvement in the fighting and had been shielded from Lebanese jurisdiction while in the camp. Al-Assir was sentenced to death in 2017 and later to 20 years of hard labor. In 2020, a military tribunal sentenced Shaker to 22 years in prison for providing financial and logistical support to the “terrorist” group led by Al-Assir.
A judicial source confirmed that Shaker surrendered at the Ain Al-Hilweh entrance as part of resolving his legal case. Conventionally, the Lebanese army does not enter Palestinian camps, leaving security to Palestinian factions. A close source to Shaker said he believes in his innocence and trusts the Lebanese judiciary to be fair. Despite his fugitive status, Shaker released a new song in July while in hiding, which topped charts across the Arab world and garnered over 113 million views on YouTube.
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