A Wisconsin teen who was accused of starting a fire at a local congressman's office has blamed the ban on TikTok for the crime.
Around 1 a.m. on Sunday, officers with the City of Fond du Lac Police Department (FDLPD) responded to calls of a fire at a local strip mall, which was where the office of Republican U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman was located. Upon arrival, police had to use extinguishers to keep the fire in check until firefighters arrived to put out the blaze.
Authorities later located a 19-year-old teen nearby who admitted that he started the fire "in response to recent talks of a TikTok ban," according to the New York Post, citing statements from the FDLPD.
Were There Any Injuries?
Police said the building was unoccupied at the time the fire started. No one was injured in the blaze. Authorities are currently probing the incident, noting that the investigation is still in its "preliminary stages."
"We are relieved that no one was injured and the office was unoccupied at the time of the fire," FDLPD Chief Aaron Goldstein said in a statement, per PEOPLE. "Acts of violence, in any form, are not tolerated, and we remain committed to protecting the safety and well-being of our community."
The teen is currently being held at the Fond du Lac County jail and is facing a charge of arson. The local district attorney's office is expected to file additional charges against the teen, whose identity was not publicly released.
TikTok Ban in the US
Rep. Grothman was one of the politicians who voted in favor of a bill that mandated ByteDance---the Chinese company that owns TikTok---to sell the app or be banned in the United States this weekend.
TikTok shut down for users in the US on Saturday, with users being greeted with a message stating that the app was unavailable. The app also stopped appearing on the Apple and Google Play app stores, which prevented people from downloading the app. It also effectively cut off the app from critical software updates, NPR reported.
The app began restoring service to US users after President Donald Trump indicated he may intervene to keep the app operational in the country. He also suggested he might issue an executive order that would delay the ban's implementation, which would potentially grant a 90-day extension.
