In this Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 file photo, Lebanese pop idol Fadel Shaker delivers a sermon in support of Syrian rebel fighters and Syrian refugees, after the Friday prayer, in Beirut, Lebanon.

A Lebanese court has handed out former pop star Fadel Shaker five years in prison in absentia for inciting sectarianism, the state-run news agency NNA reported Friday.

In 2011, Shaker declared allegiance to the Lebanese Salafist sheikh Ahmed al-Assir, bringing his successful music career to a complete halt.

NNA also said the fugitive militant Shaker, 46, was charged with “harming Lebanon’s ties with a fraternal Arab country” during one of his interviews several years ago but did not disclose of the name of the country.

The agency also did not make any mention of any other charges. In 2013, Shaker claimed to have killed two Lebanese soldiers. During the same period, Assir’s loyalists clashed with the Lebanese Army, killing 18 soldiers and wounding 40.

The former pop star was also ordered to pay a fine of $310, and was stripped of his civil rights. He is reportedly hiding in Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp.

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