Fadel Shaker returns after absence with a concert in Riyadh on October 22

Artist Fadl Shakir will hold a concert in Riyadh on October 22, according to an announcement by the Saudi Entertainment Authority on Sunday. This will be his first performance in approximately 14 years, coming about three months after Lebanese courts cleared his path following years of legal pursuit.

The head of the authority, Turki Al Sheikh, posted on the X platform: “Many asked about him, and many waited for his return... The great artist Fadl Shakir will meet his audience in Riyadh after a long absence at the Abu Bakr Salem stage as part of the Riyadh Season concerts.”

Shakir, 57, whose real name is Fadl Shamandar, was born to a Lebanese father and a Palestinian mother. He became one of the most famous singers in the Arab world over the past three decades, known for his romantic works and warm voice.

However, he retired from singing in 2012 after aligning himself with the hardline Sunni cleric Ahmad al-Assir, who was known for his anti-Hezbollah stance following the outbreak of the conflict in Syria. After clashes between the Lebanese army and al-Assir’s supporters in 2013, Shakir went into hiding in the Ein al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in the city of Sidon, until he surrendered in October 2025. A judicial source at the time confirmed that the step was “a preliminary move to close his legal case.”

In 2020, military courts issued two absentee verdicts against him. The first sentenced him to 15 years in prison with hard labor and stripped him of his civil rights, convicting him of the crime of “interfering in the criminal acts of terrorism committed by terrorists, knowing full well, by providing them with logistical services.” The second sentenced him to seven years in prison with hard labor and a fine for financing al-Assir’s group, supporting its members, and securing the cost of weapons and ammunition.

Shakir had previously pleaded not guilty through his lawyers, denying any participation in firing at the army during the clashes with al-Assir’s supporters in the town of Abriya near Sidon.

In July, Lebanese courts released him on bail. Following this, the military court lifted the travel ban imposed on him.

Earlier, in May, he was acquitted by the courts of charges related to the attempted assassination of a local official linked to a group associated with Hezbollah.

Shakir had been in hiding for over a decade in Ein al-Hilweh, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. Since then, his appearances were limited to media interviews and a few musical works.

However, months before his surrender, he released new songs that gained widespread popularity, accumulating hundreds of millions of views.