Police in Wisconsin are investigating after a man torched a congressman’s district office after the popular social media app TikTok briefly went dark in the United States, according to authorities.
The Fond du Lac Police Department said a 19-year-old man from Menasha admitted to setting a fire at an office space leased to U.S. Representative Glenn Grothman.
Just after 1 a.m. on Sunday, January 19, police said officers along with the City of Fond du Lac Fire Rescue responded to Grothman’s office about a possible structure fire.
Officers found the suspected arsonist near the strip mall shortly after they put the fire out.
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Police said the man then admitted to officers that he started the fire “in response to recent talks of a TikTok ban.”
Grothman voted for the TikTok divestment or “ban” bill.
Grothman took to X to respond to the alleged arson attack.
“Nobody was hurt in the fire and the damage has been contained,” he wrote. “Thank you to the FDL firefighters and police officers for your swift response.”
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“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,” Fond du Luc Police Chief Aaron Goldstein said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“I am thankful for the swift response of our officers in helping knock down the fire and also locating the suspect of this arson.”
Officials said that the suspect is being held at the Fond du Lac County Jail and a charge of arson is being referred to the Fond du Lac County District Attorney’s Office.
Fox News Digital reached out to TikTok for comment about the alleged arson attack.
TikTok said it was in the process of restoring operations in the U.S. on Sunday after President-elect Trump promised to issue an executive order to extend TikTok operations on Inauguration Day.
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The popular Chinese-owned social media platform was shut down on Saturday after the Supreme Court upheld a law to ban the application if it is not sold in the United States.
U.S. users reported being able to regain access to the app following Saturday’s blackout, and by Sunday afternoon, a new message crediting Trump appeared to users.
“Welcome back!” the TikTok message read. “Thank you for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!”
Earlier Sunday, Trump wrote on TRUTH Social that he is “asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark!”
“I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security,” the president-elect continued. “The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.”
“Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations,” Trump said.
His Sunday post did not clarify how soon the extension would take effect or specify how long it would last.
Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Stepheny Price is writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected]
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