A 19-year-old man was arrested on Sunday after admitting to setting fire to a building housing the office of U.S. Representative Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) in protest of ongoing discussions about a potential nationwide TikTok ban. Local police in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, identified the suspect as a resident of Menasha and apprehended him near the scene of the crime shortly after responding to reports of a fire.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning at 525 N. Peters Avenue, where Grothman's office is located. The Fond du Lac Police Department and City Fire Rescue teams were dispatched around 1 a.m. to address the blaze. Officers arriving at the scene contained the fire until firefighters extinguished it completely.
In a statement posted to Facebook, Fond du Lac Police Chief Aaron Goldstein expressed relief that no injuries occurred. "We are relieved that no one was injured and the office was unoccupied at the time of the fire. 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.
The suspect admitted to setting the fire because of "recent talks of a TikTok ban," police confirmed. On Sunday, January 19, a law went into effect requiring TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest from the popular social media app or face a U.S. ban. In anticipation of the deadline, TikTok ceased service to American users late Saturday night, leaving many unable to access the app.
"A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now," read a message displayed to users trying to access the platform. However, by Sunday afternoon, TikTok announced it was in the process of restoring service following assurances from President-elect Donald Trump.
TikTok issued a statement thanking Trump for providing clarity on the situation. "We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive," the company said on X, formerly Twitter.
The arson incident adds a troubling dimension to the already heated debate over TikTok's future in the U.S. Legal experts have noted the contentious law and its implications for national security and freedom of speech. The Supreme Court recently upheld the legislation, citing concerns that TikTok could enable China to collect sensitive data on millions of Americans.
Despite the app's restoration, the situation remains precarious. ByteDance has yet to divest from TikTok, and the law remains in effect, leaving tech companies and service providers potentially vulnerable to penalties. Apple and Google have yet to reinstate TikTok in their app stores, complicating the app's future functionality.
The suspect in the arson is being held at the Fond du Lac County Jail, with charges of arson referred to the district attorney's office. Investigations by the Fond du Lac Police Department and Fire Rescue remain ongoing. Authorities have urged anyone with information about the incident to contact the department directly or use the local Crime Alert line.
