A 19-year-old man who allegedly set a fire at a strip mall that houses the office of Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, was motivated by recent talks of a federal ban on TikTok, authorities said Sunday.
Fond du Lac police chief Aaron Goldstein expressed relief that the office was empty at the time of the fire and noted that no injuries have been reported.
“Acts of violence, in any form are not tolerated, and we remain committed to protecting the safety and well-being of our community,” Goldstein said in a statement. “I am thankful for the swift response of our Officers in helping knock down the fire and also locating the suspect of this arson.”
In a press release shared on social media, the Fond du Lac Police Department said officers arrived at the scene shortly after 1 a.m. and initially used fire extinguishers to contain the blaze while waiting for firefighters to reach the location and put it out.
Officers said they found a male resident near the building who “admitted to starting the fire in response to recent talks of a TikTok ban.”
Police added that a charge of arson has been referred to the Fond du Lac County District Attorney’s Office.
Grothman thanked the firefighters for their “swift response.”
“Nobody was hurt in the fire and the damage has been contained,” Grothman wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Grothman was among the Republicans who voted in favor of the legislation requiring TikTok to divest its Chinese ownership or face the prospect of being removed from app stores in the U.S. starting Sunday, CBS News reported.
After the U.S. Supreme Court voted to uphold the law, following a challenge by TikTok, the app went dark for several hours beginning late Saturday.
Protect The Free Press
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
TikTok restored service to U.S. users on Sunday after President-elect Donald Trump said he would sign an executive order, extending the timeline for the company to find a U.S. buyer.
“I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture,” he wrote on Truth Social. “By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to [stay] up.”