Lebanese army confirms arrest, investigation of singer Fadl Shaker

Lebanese authorities on Sunday evening confirmed that singer Fadl Shaker has been arrested and an investigation into his past is underway, after he announced he would be turning himself in.

The singer, born to a Palestinian mother and Lebanese father, surrendered himself to army intelligence at the entrance of the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp after being in hiding for many years, the state-run National News Agency announced.

The Lebanese army issued a statement confirming his arrest, noting that his detention is related to the 2013 Abra clashes in the eastern city of Sidon.

"On Friday evening, following a series of contacts between the Army and the concerned parties, the suspect turned himself in to an Intelligence Directorate patrol at the entrance of Ain al-Hilweh camp in Saida," the army statement read.

The statement further added that "an investigation has been opened by the competent judiciary".

The latest development comes after increased pressure against Shaker, particularly after his return to music and the release of his latest album.

Shaker was accused of taking part in the 2013 clashes, where he allegedly joined Sheikh Ahmad Assir and other armed Salafists in fighting against the Lebanese army, which left 17 soldiers dead.

However, he has long denied any involvement in the clashes despite being a supporter of Assir, and resorted to going into hiding in the Palestinian refugee camp, where Lebanese authorities have no jurisdiction.

In 2017, the popular singer was sentenced to death, and in 2020, Lebanon’s military tribunal sentenced him to 22 years in prison for providing financial and logistical support for the "terrorist" Assir-led group.

A year later, in 2021, he was sentenced to 20 years of hard labour.

A source close to Shaker told AFP that the singer "believes in his innocence and trusts in the independence of the Lebanese judiciary, which will do him justice this time".

Shaker stopped making music in 2011, coinciding with the uprising in Syria, but returned to the spotlight in December during the fall of Bashar al-Assad, releasing a song dedicated to Damascus. 

He released another song in July, which topped the charts in the Middle East.

A video clip accompanying the song was filmed in Ain al-Hilweh, where he was still in hiding, and amassed over 113 million views on YouTube.