Suspect charged with manslaughter, arson in fatal King restaurant fire
Posted February 18, 2025 3:52 pm.
Last Updated February 27, 2025 3:49 pm.
A 22-year-old man has been charged in a restaurant fire that left one person dead in King Township.
York Regional Police say on Feb. 16, just before 3 a.m., officers were called to a restaurant in the area of Hwy. 27 and King Road for reports of a fire.
When firefighters arrived, the business was engulfed in flames. They were able to extinguish the fire, and after conducting a search, firefighters found a deceased person inside.
He has since been identified as Bassam Mhaidat, 22, of Mississauga.
The circumstances around the fire are considered suspicious, and the Ontario Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate.
Police identified a suspect after an investigation and initially charged Saeed Alshoubaki, 22, of Mississauga, with arson and second-degree murder.
The second-degree murder charge was later downgraded to manslaughter, police announced on Thursday.
