Second Arson Fire Hits West Loop's Habibti Hours Before City Meeting on Complaints

A fire tore through the interior of Habibti, a restaurant and bar at 116 N. Aberdeen St. in the West Loop, early Tuesday morning. It was the second suspected arson at the business in less than a month.

Chicago police and firefighters responded to the scene around 4:13 a.m. No injuries were reported, but investigators determined the fire was intentionally set. The city's Department of Buildings ordered the property "off limits" later that day because of the damage.

Video provided to reporters shows a black car pulling up behind Habibti around 3:45 a.m. and circling the block before returning about 4 a.m. and parking behind the restaurant. The car left the alley near the library about five minutes later, then came back roughly two minutes after that. Thick black smoke became visible shortly afterward. The footage also captured loud bangs and bursts of white sparks during the fire, though it wasn't immediately clear what caused them. No one was in custody as of Tuesday afternoon.

The blaze happened just hours before a previously scheduled meeting organized by Ald. Walter Burnett Jr. (27th) and the city's Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection to discuss unresolved nuisance complaints against Habibti. Marianne Rieger, an attorney for the department, has led the meetings, which are not formal legal proceedings but are meant to set corrective steps for the business before the city considers pursuing license revocation.

Nearby residents have complained for months about loud music, public drinking and urination, fights and other late-night disturbances tied to the business. They have also questioned whether Habibti is operating as a nightclub despite not holding that type of license.

Tuesday's fire was the second suspected arson at the address. The first happened Aug. 17, when security footage showed people breaking into the front of the restaurant and setting a fire inside. No arrests have been made in that case either. Police Sgt. Michael Karczewki said that incident is the only one officers have confirmed as directly connected to Habibti, though officers have logged eight incidents outside the venue that may or may not be tied to the business.

Since the last community meeting in July, police have received 56 calls for service regarding Habibti, according to Karczewki, including reports of large gatherings, guns and fights. Some of those calls were duplicates.

Owner Fadi Akileh has met some of the corrective steps requested by the city, including keeping 30 days of security footage, attending a CAPS meeting and setting up a community complaint phone line. But the department said he has not turned over additional documentation on liquor and food sales, met with the alderman's office, kept 911 or incident logs, or consistently documented daily trash cleanup. Habibti hired a new security company in late July, but the department has questioned whether staff are effectively keeping people from loitering or dispersing crowds after closing.

Officer Carla Duda-Malinski told the city she observed no food being served or eaten and no tables set up for dining during an Aug. 29 walk-through, and that Habibti opened at 9 p.m., which she described as outside typical dining hours.

Residents who spoke during Tuesday's virtual meeting repeated complaints raised in earlier sessions. One resident, who did not give a name during the meeting, said the community has been patient for three months without seeing changes. Rieger said the biggest source of ongoing complaints is customers loitering outside the restaurant after leaving, with residents submitting videos and photos showing people dancing on cars and causing other disturbances.

Akileh said he was still shaken by Tuesday's fire and denied any intention of disrupting the neighborhood. He said Habibti is operating within the terms of its existing licenses despite what he called repeated police "raids," and said he plans to expand the restaurant's hours to include lunch service. He said he has now hired an attorney to represent him in dealings with the city.

No court date or license revocation hearing has been set. The Department of Buildings' closure order means Habibti cannot reopen until the fire damage is addressed and the property is cleared for occupancy again.