New Developments in Fadl Shaker's Case: Lebanese Judiciary Expected to Announce His Acquittal

SadaNews - The Beirut Criminal Court will hold a decisive session tomorrow, Wednesday, to issue a ruling in the case against Lebanese artist Fadl Shaker alongside Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir, regarding allegations of attempting to murder Hilal Hammoud, who was a member of the resistance brigades affiliated with Hezbollah.

According to a judicial source familiar with his case, who spoke to "Al Arabiya/Al Hadath.net", the Lebanese judiciary is likely to announce the acquittal of Fadl Shaker, the owner of "Sahak Al-Shouq", along with Sheikh al-Assir in the attempted murder case against Hammoud due to a lack of sufficient evidence to convict them. He pointed out that "the ruling session will be attended by all defendants in the case".

Eleven years ago, Hammoud filed a criminal lawsuit against the Lebanese artist, accusing him of threatening to kill him. However, Hammoud returned after years to deny Shaker's involvement in any threat, withdrawing his lawsuit.

For her part, judicial journalist Farah Mansour explained to "Al Arabiya/Al Hadath.net" that "artist Fadl Shaker denied in most sessions before the Beirut Criminal Court any connection to the assassination attempt of a member of the Hezbollah resistance brigades, and there is no sufficient evidence to convict him".

Threat via Mosque Minaret

She stated, "The plaintiff in the case (Bilal Hammoud) said during previous interrogation sessions that he heard the Lebanese artist threatening him with death via the mosque minaret, without confirming that he was armed or asked someone to carry out the assassination".

However, Shaker's release tomorrow does not mean his permanent exit from prison, as there is another session awaiting him before the military court on April 26, regarding the events that took place in Abra in June 2013, between the Lebanese army and armed individuals affiliated with Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir, following an attack on an army checkpoint.

Shaker is accused of financing Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir's group and providing it with weapons, as well as assaulting a Lebanese army checkpoint. However, he has denied all the charges against him.

Two Separate Cases

His lawyer, Amata Mubarak, stated to "Al Arabiya/Al Hadath.net" that the Abra events case is completely separate from the attempted assassination case of Bilal Hammoud, and thus the Wednesday session is solely dedicated to issuing a ruling in the attempted assassination case, while the April 26 session will involve hearing more witnesses regarding the Abra events case.

Mubarak also clarified that she submitted a request to the court for Fadl Shaker's release, but it was rejected.

terrorism and Money Laundering

In October 2025, Fadl Shaker surrendered to the Lebanese army intelligence at the entrance of Ain al-Hilala camp, where he had settled for more than ten years, in order to close his legal file.

For six months, he has been undergoing trials in the Hammoud and Abra cases, in addition to facing charges related to financing terrorist groups and money laundering.

It is worth mentioning that the Lebanese military court had issued in 2020 a judgment in absentia against Shaker, sentencing him to 22 years of hard labor for his involvement in armed activities in Sidon, before the verdict was reconsidered, and some charges related to killing soldiers and forming an armed group were later dropped against him.