Assir testifies and clears Fadl Shaker of any link to Abra clashes

The military tribunal, presided over by Judge Wassim Fayad, heard former Islamist leader Ahmad al-Assir as a witness Thursday in the case of the clashes between Islamists and the Lebanese Army in Abra (Saida district) in 2013, which left 29 dead, including 18 soldiers.

Already sentenced to death in this case, he was heard as a witness and stated that Lebanese singer Fadl Shaker, who converted to Salafism, had "no link to the events of Abra" and was "not part of the brigades" he led.

The session was held behind closed doors at the request of Shaker's lawyer, Amata Moubarak, even though military tribunal hearings are normally public. Assir's lawyer did not attend the hearing because he was a witness.

Shaker, a disciple of Assir, had been sentenced in absentia in 2020 to 22 years in prison for having supported and financed the preacher's group.

He surrendered to authorities on Oct. 5, 2025, after being on the run in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh, in southern Lebanon.

Assir, imprisoned and sentenced to death, took advantage of the hearing to denounce what he considers an injustice, claiming he was convicted at the time while the military tribunal was "receiving orders from Iran and Hezbollah."

The hearing was postponed to March 24.