A man has been arrested and accused of committing arson on the home of a Democratic Governor.
Over the weekend, authorities confirmed that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s home in Harrisburg was set upon in an alleged arson attack.
Police confirmed they believe the suspect responsible scaled a seven-foot-high wall, broke into the mansion and used a homemade incendiary device to cause significant damage to a part of the house in the early hours of Sunday (April 13).
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Thankfully, no injuries were reported and Shapiro’s family and their guests were safely evacuated when police woke them up by banging on their door around 2 am.
Those within the property had been celebrating the first day of Passover only hours before.
The suspect was arrested later that day and identified as 38-year-old Cody Balmer of Harrisburg.
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Authorities said he faces charges of attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault.
Balmer reportedly gave a disturbing reason for his alleged arson attempt when he was quizzed by police officers.
Court documents allege that the suspect 'admitted to harboring hatred towards Gov. Shapiro' before he threw two home-made Molotov cocktails into the governor's residence.
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Balmer said he was aware of the 'possibility' that Shapiro and his family were home at the time and could be seriously hurt in the fire, documents seen by NBC Philadelphia claim.
They add: "Balmer was asked specifically what he would have done if Governor Shapiro found him inside of his residence, to which he advised he would have beaten him with his hammer."
The court documents state that Balmer could be seen on CCTV outside of the property and was spotted wearing a black jacket, black boots, two different colored gloves, one orange and one yellow, and carrying a bag. He could also be seen approaching a piano room at the property where he allegedly threw one homemade incendiary device through a broken window.
The Pennsylvania Governor held a press conference on Sunday and defiantly said he would not stand for such behavior.
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Shapiro said: “I refuse to be trapped by the bondage that someone attempts to put on me by attacking us as they did here last night. I refuse to let anyone who had evil intentions like that stop me from doing the work that I love.
“But we do know a few truths. First: This type of violence is not OK. This kind of violence is becoming far too common in our society. And I don't give a damn if it's coming from one particular side or the other, directed at one particular party or another or one particular person or another. It is not OK, and it has to stop. We have to be better than this.”
UNILAD has contacted Pennsylvania State Police for further comment.
Gerrard Kaonga