Man Arrested for Attempting to Burn Down PA Governor Josh Shapiro's House as He and His Family Slept Inside

On Passover.

Pennsylvania State Police have arrested a Harrisburg man for the arson attack on Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family that sent them fleeing from the governor's residence on the first night of Passover.

Cody Balmer, 38, of Harrisburg, is expected to face charges of attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson, and aggravated assault against an enumerated person, authorities said.

Shapiro, who is Jewish, became visibly emotional as he spoke about the 2 a.m. attack on his home as he and his family slept inside.

"If he was trying to terrorize our family, our friends, the Jewish community, who joined us for a Passover Seder in that room last night, hear me on this: We celebrated our faith last night, proudly, and in a few hours, we will celebrate our second Seder of Passover," he said.

The entire home was safely evacuated and no one was injured, Shapiro wrote on X.

Balmer was allegedly carrying homemade incendiary devices when he snuck into the gated compound that is the official residence of the governor by jumping a fence, according to police.

Investigators believe the attack was "targeted," but haven't determined a specific motive, Shapiro said. Police did not release more details on Balmer's actions.

LOL, of course they can't determine the motive.

But they have established that when the guy sought out Josh Shapiro's home, he was "targeting" it. He didn't try to burn down a random structure that turned out to be the governor's residence.

Great job, guys.

While we don't know his motive yet, he sure looks like antifa, as Stephen Green says.

posted by Ace at 03:05 PM

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