‘Prince Of Romance’, 12 Years In Hiding To 22-Year Sentence For Terror Links: Who Is Lebanese Pop Star Fadel Shaker?

Last Updated:July 13, 2026, 17:55 IST

On July 8, Lebanese authorities released Fadel Shaker on a 500 million Lebanese pounds ($5,500) bail while he awaits a retrial for terrorism-related charges

Fadel Shaker or Chaker is a famous Lebanese pop star known as the “Prince of Romance" who shocked the Arab world by abandoning his music career to join a hardline Sunni militant group.

On July 8, Lebanese authorities released Shaker on a 500 million Lebanese pounds ($5,500) bail while he awaits a retrial for terrorism-related charges, according to Al Jazeera and The Associated Press.

HIS STARDOM

Shaker rose to regional superstardom in the early 2000s with massive chart-topping romantic hits like ‘Ya Ghayeb’ (2002).

In 2012, at the height of his fame, he announced his retirement from music. He declared singing “sinful" on religious grounds and began performing religious hymns instead.

THE MILITANT SHIFT AND CONTROVERSY

Shaker joined forces with Ahmed al-Assir, a hardline Sunni Muslim sheikh fiercely critical of the Syrian administration and its Lebanese Shia ally, Hezbollah.

In June 2013, bloody street battles erupted in the Abra neighbourhood of Sidon between al-Assir’s followers and the Lebanese military, leaving 18 soldiers and dozens of militants dead. Shaker was accused of actively fighting.

A YouTube video surfaced during the clashes showing a bearded Shaker taunting his enemies, boasting, “We sent home two corpses for you yesterday," referring to dead pro-Hezbollah fighters, said reports.

12 YEARS IN HIDING

Shaker spent nearly 12 years hiding inside the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, where Lebanese security forces traditionally do not enter. Paradoxically, he continued to release viral pop singles from inside the camp.

In 2020, Lebanon’s military tribunal sentenced him in absentia to 22 years of hard labour for financing terrorism and providing logistical support to militants.

Shaker surrendered to police in October. Under Lebanese law, his previous convictions were automatically vacated to make way for a formal retrial.

CURRENT STATUS

According to reports from Al Jazeera and the Associated Press, Shaker is currently residing in a rented apartment near Beirut following his bail release. While he was recently acquitted of a separate local murder plot due to insufficient evidence, he still faces four active security-related cases for money laundering, funding armed factions, and participating in the Sidon clashes.

Shaker maintains his innocence, arguing that he had personal disagreements with al-Assir and was not involved in the actual armed violence.

With agency inputs

About the Author

Manjiri Joshi

At the news desk for 20 years, the story of her life has revolved around finding pun, facts while reporting, on radio, heading a daily newspaper desk, teaching mass media students to now editing speci...Read More

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