A Lebanese pop star turned wanted Islamist militant has appeared in court after 12 years on the run.
Fadel Chaker had been hiding in Palestinian refugee camp Ein el-Hilweh since bloody street clashes erupted between Sunni Muslim militants and the Lebanese army in June 2013 in the coastal city of Sidon.
He was sentenced to 22 years in prison in 2020 for providing support to a “terrorist group” after being tried in absentia.
As part of the deal that persuaded Chaker to turn himself in, the sentences he received while on the run would be dropped.
He would also be questioned in preparation to stand trial on new charges of committing crimes against the military.
Tuesday’s court appearance was a preliminary questioning session.
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During the 2013 shootout, which killed at least 18 soldiers, Chaker appeared in a YouTube video calling his enemies pigs and dogs.
He also taunted the military, saying “we have two rotting corpses that we snatched from you yesterday”.
This was an apparent reference to slain soldiers.
Chaker shot to fame in the Arab world with a smash hit in 2002.
Some 10 years later, he appeared to have fallen under the influence of hard-line Sunni cleric Sheikh Ahmad al Assir.
Ahmad al Assir (L) and Chaker (C) at a protest in Beirut in October 2012. Pic: Reuters
Chaker shocked fans by turning up next to the cleric at rallies and later said he was giving up singing to become closer to God.
In July, Chaker and his son Mohammed released a new song that has garnered more than 100 million views on YouTube.
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