Arson attack probe at Pennsylvania governor’s mansion looking into suspect’s hatred of Shapiro

Authorities investigating why a man set fire to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s official residence are probing whether the suspect was motivated by the Democrat’s Jewish faith or positions on Israel’s war in Gaza.

Police have said that Cody Balmer of Harrisburg harbored hatred toward Shapiro. Several search warrants released Wednesday offer the first details about a potential motive for the arson attack early Sunday in a room where only hours earlier Shapiro and his family celebrated Passover with members of the Jewish community.

Balmer called 911 less than an hour after the fire erupted, promised a confession and talked about Palestinians being killed, police wrote in search warrants.

Exactly what the man was trying to say and who he was referencing isn’t clear from the partial quotations included in the search warrants. Police quoted Balmer as saying, “our people have been put through too much by that monster.” Balmer also “related that Governor Josh SHAPIRO needs to know that he ‘…will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,’” police wrote.

During a police interview after turning himself in, Balmer “admitted to harboring hatred towards Governor Shapiro,” according to a police affidavit that did not expand on that point. Police obtained search warrants for Balmer’s electronic devices and a storage locker seeking any writings or notes that contain “the name of Josh Shapiro (or a) reference to Palestine, Gaza, Israel or the current conflict in Gaza.”

Shapiro declined to talk about a motive Wednesday, saying prosecutors will ultimately determine what prompted the attack. “It’s not for me to answer that,” he said.

Balmer, 38, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder but did not believe the assessment, his brother, Dan Balmer, told The Associated Press. He said he twice helped Cody get treatment at the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute.