Lebanese singer turned militant Fadel Chaker appeared in a Beirut court on Wednesday for the first time, after 12 years on the run.
Chaker, who surrendered to the authorities earlier this month, arrived in a van with blacked-out windows for the court appearance, which was a preliminary questioning session.
He went into hiding in the Ain Al Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, in southern Lebanon, after being accused of involvement in deadly clashes between supporters of radical cleric Ahmed Al Assir and the Lebanese army in the coastal city of Sidon in June 2013.
Chaker was tried in absentia and sentenced to 22 years in prison in 2020 for providing support to a terrorist group.
By long-standing convention, Lebanese security forces do not enter Lebanon's 12 official Palestinian refugee camps.
Chaker turned himself in under a deal in which the sentences he received while on the run would be dropped and he would be questioned in preparation to stand trial on new charges of committing crimes against the military.
He became a pop star throughout the Arab world with smash hit Aash Mn Shafak in 2002. Almost 10 years later, he fell under the influence of Mr Al Assir. Chaker denies playing any role in the clashes in Sidon and said he never advocated bloodshed.
He remained largely out of the public eye for the past decade but began periodically releasing music in recent years, including several singles this year. In July, Chaker and his son Mohammed released a new song on his YouTube channel that has garnered more than 188 million views.
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
The biog
Name: Mohammed Imtiaz
From: Gujranwala, Pakistan
Arrived in the UAE: 1976
Favourite clothes to make: Suit
Cost of a hand-made suit: From Dh550
