A radical cleric who was once Lebanon's most-wanted fugitive was sentenced to death on Thursday (September 28th) before a military court after being found guilty of terrorism, AFP reported.
Arrested in 2015, Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir was tried along with 38 others accused of killing Lebanese soldiers in the southern city of Sidon in 2013.
The court also sentenced to death two other defendants and five extremists who remain at large, including the cleric's brother.
Singer-turned-extremist Fadel Shaker, who was tried in absentia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while the other 30 defendants were handed life sentences.
The charges were in connection with clashes between al-Assir’s supporters and the army that broke out in Sidon on June 24th, 2013.
The fighting erupted after al-Assir supporters opened fire on a military checkpoint and quickly spread, killing 18 soldiers along with 13 armed men.
In 2014, the judiciary issued a warrant for al-Assir’s arrest for "forming an armed group with the objective of committing acts of terrorism and killing or attempting to kill Lebanese soldiers".
After two years on the run, the cleric was arrested in August 2015 at Beirut International Airport as he attempted to escape with a fake passport and altered appearance.
