Lebanese singer turned militant Fadel Chaker and his former associate, the radical cleric Ahmed Al Assir, appeared in a Beirut criminal court on Friday, over their alleged involvement in a murder attempt more than a decade ago.
The pair and four others arrived in court under tight security at 11am. The next hearing was scheduled for February 6.
They are accused of attempting to kill Hilal Hammoud, a rival cleric in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon, in 2013.
Mr Chaker, who surrendered to authorities in October after 12 years on the run, is facing a parallel case in a military court.
He is being investigated on suspicion of involvement in deadly clashes between supporters of Mr Al Assir and the Lebanese army in Sidon in June 2013. Mr Chaker denies being involved in the clashes and has said that he never supported bloodshed. But prosecutors say he had developed close ties to Mr Al Assir at the time, before going on the run.
Followers of the cleric were known for being deeply hostile to the regime of former Syrian leader Bashar Al Assad and Hezbollah.
Mr Chaker also appeared before a military court on Thursday in a closed investigation session that took under three hours, with a second trial date set for February 12.
Mr Chaker spent 12 years on the run hiding at Ain Al Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. By long-standing convention, Lebanese security forces cannot enter any of Lebanon's 12 official Palestinian camps.
He was previously tried in absentia and sentenced to 22 years in prison in 2020 for providing support to a terrorist group by a military court.
He handed himself in, after reaching a deal in which the sentence would be set aside and he would be questioned in preparation to stand trial on new charges of crimes against the military.
He was a pop star throughout the Arab world with the smash hit Aash Mn Shafakin 2002. Almost 10 years later, he came under the influence of Mr Al Assir.
He has remained largely out of the public eye for the past decade but resumed periodically releasing music, including several singles last year.
