Overview
- A wooden cross was set on fire in Grant Park last Tuesday, prompting Chicago police to label the incident arson and to circulate images of a person of interest.
- NBC 5 Investigates identified and interviewed a 21-year-old University of Illinois Chicago senior, Merlin Lu, who told reporters he built and ignited the cross and placed a red ballcap he said signified a MAGA hat on top.
- Lu told NBC he intended the act as a political protest against President Trump and MAGA Christian nationalist supporters, apologized for offending people, and denied any KKK affiliation.
- The FBI joined the probe and investigators are reviewing evidence and motive to determine whether hate-crime or other charges will be filed while Lu says he is considering surrender and his parents have offered legal help.
- Cross burning is widely seen in the United States as a symbol of racial terror linked to the Ku Klux Klan, which is why authorities and community leaders have treated the incident with heightened scrutiny and sparked debate about media coverage.