Fadel Chaker yielded to Lebanon’s military intelligence service on Saturday, after spending more than a decade evading authorities over charges tied to his alleged involvement in the 2013 clashes in Sidon.
The pop star, who recently returned to the limelight with a string of singles, had retired from music in 2012, adopting the name Hajj Chaker and pledging allegiance to Lebanese Sunni firebrand cleric Ahmed al-Assir – a move that led him to take up arms with supporters during the fight against the Lebanese army that left 18 soldiers dead.
In 2020, Chaker was sentenced in absentia to 22 years of hard labour. He remained on the run and was believed to be hiding at the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp – a self-governed enclave inaccessible to Lebanese police and army due to a reportedly unofficial understanding stemming from the now-annulled 1969 Cairo Agreement between the Lebanese government and the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
According to a report by AP, Lebanese military intelligence took Chaker from one of the entrances of the camp on Saturday evening. Officials, who spoke to news agency on the condition of anonymity, said Chaker handed himself over after discussions between mediators and representatives from the Lebanese Defense Ministry.
His 22-year sentence will be reportedly dropped and Chaker will now be questioned, preparing to stand trial on new charges. The singer had previously denied participating in the Sidon clashes, insisting that he never supported bloodshed.
His surrender on Saturday comes as the Lebanese army begins to seize weapons from the country’s 12 Palestinian refugee camps, which have long been beyond the reach of the country’s authorities.
Chaker had been largely out of the public eye for the past decade. However, he has made a marked resurgence this year with songs including Ahla Rasma, Elhob W Bass, Hawa Aljnoub, Rouh el Baher and Kifek 3a Fra2e, a duet with his son, Mohamed. The tracks have each amassed millions of views on Chaker’s official YouTube page.
His return to popular music comes after years spent exclusively recording Islamic hymns – a shift that began with 2018 comeback single Shab’an Min Al Tamtheel.
His re-emergence drew mixed reactions. While his comeback single, Shab’an Min Al Tamtheel, went regionally viral, the public backlash prompted Egyptian production company AG Group to remove the song from the television drama, Ladina Aqwal Okhra.
This year’s documentary series Ya Ghayeb … Fadel Chaker – featuring a sit-down interview in which the singer tells his side of the story – was also met with ambivalent critical reception, with some critics accusing it of downplaying the crimes he stands convicted of.
Chaker’s appeal, however, is undeniable, especially given the soaring numbers of his recent singles. Depending on how his legal status resolves, the singer’s career may a more official comeback, with co-ordinated promotional efforts and supporting concerts that will put him back into the mainstream.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
Company Profile
Company name: Fine Diner
Started: March, 2020
Co-founders: Sami Elayan, Saed Elayan and Zaid Azzouka
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and food delivery
Initial investment: Dh75,000
Investor: Dtec Startupbootcamp
Future plan: Looking to raise $400,000
Total sales: Over 1,000 deliveries in three months
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The biog
Age: 32
Qualifications: Diploma in engineering from TSI Technical Institute, bachelor’s degree in accounting from Dubai’s Al Ghurair University, master’s degree in human resources from Abu Dhabi University, currently third years PHD in strategy of human resources.
Favourite mountain range: The Himalayas
Favourite experience: Two months trekking in Alaska
UAE-based players
Goodlands Riders: Jamshaid Butt, Ali Abid, JD Mahesh, Vibhor Shahi, Faizan Asif, Nadeem Rahim
Rose Hill Warriors: Faraz Sheikh, Ashok Kumar, Thabreez Ali, Janaka Chathuranga, Muzammil Afridi, Ameer Hamza
THE DETAILS
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Dir: Ron Howard
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson
3/5
Brief scores
Toss India, chose to bat
India 281-7 in 50 ov (Pandya 83, Dhoni 79; Coulter-Nile 3-44)
Australia 137-9 in 21 ov (Maxwell 39, Warner 25; Chahal 3-30)
India won by 26 runs on Duckworth-Lewis Method
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Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test India won by innings and 53 runs at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills