Husband of Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram indicted over intruder's death

The charge over the death of Mohammed Hassan Al Moussa carries a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison

Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram spoke of the trauma of her home invasion in January. YouTube

A judge has indicted the husband of Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram with intentional killing.

On January 5, Ajram’s husband, celebrity dentist Dr Fadi Al Hashem, shot dead Mohammed Hassan Al Moussa, 30, whom Al Hashem says was armed when he broke into their home and threatened the family, including the couple’s two young children.

Al Hashem was initially detained by the authorities but was later released after being questioned by a judge. However, on January 15, he was charged with murder in self-defence.

"The public prosecutor in Mount Lebanon, Judge Ghada Aoun, called on the husband of pop star Nancy Ajram, Dr Fadi Al Hashem, for a full investigation," a statement from the state-run National News Agency said at the time. 

The case was referred to Mount Lebanon’s first investigative judge Nicolas Mansour, who on Tuesday indicted Al Hashem with intentional killing in self-defence, which carries a possible sentence of up to 20 years.

Mansour noted in the indictment that Al Hashem was “in an intense emotional state as a result of his fear for his family".

The decision has now been referred to the Indictment Division in Mount Lebanon.

Security camera footage of the incident shows a masked man identified as Al Moussa threatening Dr Al Hashem with what appears to be a gun on the morning of January 5.

Al Hashem told Lebanese television network MTV that the burglar was carrying one of Ajram’s handbags and asking for money.

He said he “lost his mind” after realising Al Moussa had entered his young daughter’s bedroom.

“I ran to him like a kamikaze. I wanted to cut him into pieces, even if he shot me,” Al Hashem told MTV.

Following the killing, a judicial source told MTV that Al Moussa's body had 16 gunshot wounds. It was also revealed that the gun he was carrying turned out to be a fake.

Speaking to Saudi TV station Al Arabiya from Syria on January 7, Al Moussa’s mother said that her son used to work as a gardener for Ajram and was owed an unspecified amount of money by the couple.

She questioned the surveillance footage of the killing and asked the authorities to pursue the case to get the full story.