03 August 2013
BEIRUT: Lebanese pop singer-turned-Islamist Fadl Shaker will be allowed to leave Lebanon after high-level contacts between Lebanese officials and an unnamed Gulf country, political sources familiar with the issue told The Daily Star Friday.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said talks were held between senior Lebanese civil and military officials and a Gulf country that maintains special ties with some high-ranking local figures. The sources said an agreement was reached whereby Shaker would be allowed to leave Lebanon and relocate to the Gulf nation, which has been funding him.
Shaker is in the inner circle of Salafist Sheikh Ahmad Assir, who fought a deadly June battle against the Army in the Abra suburb of Sidon.
Shaker appeared in a video tape shortly after the clashes broke out, bragging about killing two Army soldiers and describing them as “pigs.”
At least 18 soldiers and dozens of fighters loyal to Assir were killed in the clashes. The whereabouts of Assir and Shaker remain unknown, although recent reports indicated they were hiding in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh, in the outskirts of Sidon.
Assir and 36 of his supporters, including Shaker, were charged last month with “forming an armed gang with the aim of carrying out crimes against people and their property, undermining state authority and harming the state prestige.”
The sources said Lebanese authorities were committed to arresting Assir and bringing him to trial, along with those involved in the attack on the Army, save for Shaker.
The sources dismissed media reports published Friday that Shaker was selling his property to raise money to flee Lebanon. The sources said the Gulf country was still providing Shaker with financial support.
Copyright The Daily Star 2013.
