A 19-year-old in Wisconsin reportedly set fire to a strip mall housing congressman Glenn Grothman’s office during app’s brief ban
A teenager in the US state of Wisconsin was arrested early on Monday morning for setting fire to a strip mall where Republican congressman Glenn Grothman’s office is located, according to media reports. The alleged perpetrator reportedly told authorities his action was “in response to recent talks of a TikTok ban.”
The brief ban that did occur was tied to a law requiring the app’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell its US operations by Sunday, a measure passed by Congress last April. The US government has been pressuring ByteDance to divest its ownership due to concerns over national security and the potential misuse of US user data. Grothman, who supported the bill, expressed his frustration over the incident.
“The TikTok issue is really secondary. I mean, I deal with, obviously, dozens of issues up here, and we cannot have people – if they disagree with me – say the way to settle that disagreement is let’s try to burn down the congressman’s office,” he told WISN 12 News.
The fire at the strip mall in the city of Fond du Lac was reported around 1am. Firefighters and police responded quickly, limiting the damage to the building. No injuries were reported, and the office was unoccupied at the time.
The suspect, who has not been publicly named, was arrested after being spotted near the scene of the fire. Police said the blaze began outside the building and was quickly contained. The 19-year-old teen is currently being held at the Fond du Lac County Jail, where authorities are preparing to file arson charges with the District Attorney’s Office.
President Donald Trump announced hours after the ban began that he would issue an executive order delaying its enforcement by 75 days. Shortly after his order was signed, TikTok resumed operations after 12 hours.
Speaking at a victory rally in Washington DC on Sunday, Trump confirmed TikTok’s restoration. “As of today, TikTok is back,” he told a cheering crowd. “Frankly, we have no choice; we have to save it.”
Grothman declined to address the future of the app during a CBS 58 interview on Monday.
“I wasn’t going to go into it, because to me, that’s what this guy wants,” Grothman said. “I think for me, specifically, to comment on TikTok after he tried to light the office on fire, would be what he wants.”
Trump also announced plans to grant TikTok a 90-day extension, giving the platform additional time to secure a buyer outside China. “I’ll approve, but let the United States of America own 50% of TikTok,” Trump said during his speech. “And the United States will do what we call a ‘joint venture.’”