Police identify Mississauga man found dead inside Nobleton restaurant following arson

A York Regional Police patch is shown in Aurora, Ont. on Dec. 19, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey

Police have identified a man found dead inside a restaurant that had allegedly been intentionally set on fire in Nobleton earlier this month.

The incident happened in the early morning hours of Feb. 16 near Highway 27 and King Road.

York Regional Police (YRP) said they were called to that area shorty before 3 a.m. for reports of a fire.

At the scene, emergency crews found the establishment “fully engulfed in flames,” and fire crews found a deceased person inside after dousing the fire.

“The circumstances surrounding the fire are considered suspicious and the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal has been engaged,” YRP said.

Police now say the deceased has been identified as Bassam Mhaidat, 22, of Mississauga.

YRP had previously charged Saeed Alshoubake, 22, of Mississauga, with second-degree murder and arson, but the murder charge has now been downgraded to manslaughter. The charges have not been tested in court.

Investigators say they believe this incident was “targeted” and are asking anyone who saw what happened or who was in the area at the time to check their security cameras or dashcam footage.

Anyone with information is asked to contact YRP’s Homicide Unit at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7865, or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

With files from Joanna Lavoie