Kansas City restaurant reopens following arson investigation

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The open sign is shining bright again outside a family-owned business in the Midtown Westport neighborhood in Kansas City.

Security footage from early July shows two people breaking a window into Haha’s Kebabs and Shawarma and then setting the inside of it on fire.

“That’s the hardest thing watching what you worked hard for the past two years go over in minutes,” owner Fouad “Frank” Haha said.

Minutes that resulted in even more time lost. Haha had to close the shop for about two months and spent $30,000 to $60,000 in repairs. He says the shop wasn’t insured at the time.

“A couple of weeks before that my brother passed away and we partnered on the shop and we just canceled the insurance to combine both of them at the same time,” Haha said.

Investigators have since arrested and charged George Daniels for second-degree arson.

They’re still searing for the other suspect.

Police confirmed it was a targeted attack. Fouad says he doesn’t know the people in the video.

“Now it makes you feel like everybody is watching you … you could be a target to anybody to anyone,” Haha said.

But that feeling of uneasiness isn’t stopping Fouad from reopening his family-owned business.

“My parents taught us no matter what, all this is material, one day it could be gone and one day you could build an empire, so we stay strong and it’s all about the thoughts in your head,” he said.

With the open sign on again, he’s ready to welcome back the community. Showing their love through food after he says everyone checked in on them while they were closed.

“It feels like the first day. We have to bring that attention again and let the people know we’re back so they can try our delicious food,” Haha said.

Fouad also gave his thanks to police for catching one of the people on the video.

Again, no further arrests have been made, but if you know something, you’re asked to call police.

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