DUBAI: Lebanese superstar Nancy Ajram has spoken out publicly for the first time since her Beirut property was broken into by an armed thief on Jan. 5.
In conversation with LBCI Lebanon News, The “Ah w nos” singer urged people to “put themselves in her husband’s shoes.”
Earlier this week, a masked intruder who broke into Ajram’s villa was shot and killed by the popstar’s husband, celebrity dentist Fadi-Al Hashem. The dentist revealed that the assailant was making threats to his family, including his young daughters.
“Before anything, Fadi is a father and a husband. He has responsibilities. He is a human being... It was a normal reaction to the threat he experienced,” she said.
She revealed that the couple's children, aged 10, eight and one, were asleep during the ordeal. “The children were in their rooms sleeping. They did not see what happened, but they woke up and heard everything,” she shared.
During the interview, Ajram also opened up about how she hid in the bathroom when she realized there was an intruder in her home. “I heard Fadi telling him ‘whatever you want.’ When I heard this sentence, I knew the intruder was a robber and I ran to the bathroom with my phone. I called my father first because I was scared… I was shaking and I was in a state that I can’t describe to anyone. I called my father and told him ‘dad there is a thief in the house… do something now, Fadi and I and the children are home.”
The singer also laid claims that the assailant was known to the family to rest, stating “We do not know the intruder and he does not work with us.”
Following the terrifying incident, many Arab celebrities voiced their support for Lebanese pop singer and her husband, who was detained by police over the shooting, but has since been released.
Egyptian singer Tamer Hosny, who co-judged “The Voice Kids” with Ajram, wrote on Instagram, “Get well soon Nancy. God bless you, your children and your husband.”
In an interview with local media after the incident, Ajram said “I want to thank everyone who called me to ask about me; I am okay. What is most important is that my family is in good health.”
“Thank God for your safety… and for your husband’s and your girls. God bless you all, you deserve all the best and thank God you were at home with the girls,” Emirati singer Ahlam wrote on Instagram.
Ragheb Alama, the Lebanese music sensation, took to Instagram to share the importance of the country’s involvement in the case. “The Lebanese Republic is required to defend Nancy and other real artist ambassadors who please the country and its people. It is the duty of officials to look after Nancy and her family,” Alama wrote.
Local media aired footage of the robbery that circulated on social media. It is reported that in the video, taken from one of the security cameras in Ajram’s home, the intruder pointed his gun at Al-Hashem, who later reappears with a gun and chases the man who was making his way to one of the rooms.
“They had guests over so he sneaked in and hid before they turned on the alarm. After the guests left, he did what he did.” Ajram’s manager Jiji Lamara said during a call interview on the Egyptian broadcaster On Ent’s talk show “Kul Youm.” “Like any father who is scared for his family, he had no other choice.”
According to media reports in Beirut, an arrest warrant was issued for Al-Hashem and an investigation is underway.
