A man accused of setting a fire at a strip mall in Wisconsin where a congressman’s office is located told authorities he was motivated by the federal ban on TikTok.
The office of Republican Rep. Glenn Grothman, who voted last April for a bill that mandated TikTok’s China-based parent company sell its U.S. operation by Sunday to avoid being banned in the U.S., was located in the mall in Fond du Lac.
The fire was first reported around 1 a.m. Sunday. The fire rescue said in a Facebook post that police officers used fire extinguishers to hold the blaze at bay until fire crews arrived.
The fire began outside the building — which was unoccupied at the time — and caused minor damage before it was extinguished. No injuries were reported.
A 19-year-old Menasha man, whose name has not been released, was in custody and will be charged with arson, police said. They said he was arrested after he was seen near the mall watching the fire.
“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,” police Chief Aaron 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.”
Grothman said he was aware of the fire but had no immediate comment.
On Saturday night, the popular video-sharing platform voluntarily shut down its operation in the U.S. in response to the impending ban over concerns about its ties to China. The shutdown only lasted a few hours and the company restored service on Sunday after President-elect Donald Trump vowed to issue an executive order to restore the app.
Lucia Suarez Sang is an associate managing editor at CBSNews.com. Previously, Lucia was the director of digital content at FOX61 News in Connecticut and has previously written for outlets including FoxNews.com, Fox News Latino and the Rutland Herald.
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