BEIRUT — Lebanese authorities released singer Fadel Shaker on bail on July 8, 2026. Shaker had been in custody for months awaiting a retrial.

Shaker paid 500 million Lebanese pounds, approximately $5,500, for his release. He left the military facility in a suburb of Beirut and is now in a rented apartment. The cases against Shaker remain open as investigations continue into allegations of belonging to an armed group and money laundering.

Shaker surrendered to the Lebanese military intelligence service in October 2025. His surrender led to the dropping of an initial sentence. Prior to his surrender, Shaker had been on the run for 12 years, reportedly hiding in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh near Sidon.

Shaker was previously tried in absentia in 2020 and sentenced to 22 years in prison for supporting a "terrorist group." This sentence was related to street clashes that occurred in 2013 between Sunni militants and Lebanese army soldiers near Sidon. The 2013 clashes resulted in the deaths of 18 soldiers and deepened sectarian tensions between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in Lebanon.

Under Lebanese law, Shaker was put on retrial in January 2026. During his testimony in January 2026, Shaker stated that he had been close to Sunni Muslim cleric Ahmed al-Assir. Al-Assir was convicted in 2017 and sentenced to death for his role in the 2013 clashes, following a trial that lasted two years. Al-Assir remains on death row.

Shaker testified that he had grown distant from al-Assir before the 2013 clashes, citing disagreements between them. He repeatedly denied participating in the clashes near Sidon. Shaker also testified that he had received threats from the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group and supporters of former Syrian President Bashar Assad. A video uploaded to YouTube during the 2013 clashes showed Shaker using inflammatory language towards his enemies and taunting the military. In the video, Shaker stated, "We have two rotting corpses that we snatched from you yesterday," referring to two pro-Hezbollah fighters killed in the clashes.

Before these events, Shaker had a hit song in 2002. He had appeared in rallies alongside al-Assir and stated that he gave up singing to become close to God. Shaker released several songs while a fugitive, including one with his son Mohammed in July 2025.