Harrisburg man to be charged for arson attack on Pennsylvania governor residence

A 38-year-old man was in custody and will face attempted homicide and aggravated arson charges after setting a fire overnight at Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's residence, state authorities said at a press conference at the governor's mansion in Harrisburg on April 13, Report informs via Reuters.

The suspect, identified as Cody Balmer from Harrisburg, whose motive is still unknown, slipped over a fence around the property carrying homemade incendiary devices and evaded state troopers long enough to enter the residence, set it on fire and leave, said Pennsylvania police officials. He was apprehended shortly before the press conference on Sunday.

State police banged on the bedroom doors of Shapiro and his family around 2 a.m. (0600 GMT) to evacuate them as local firefighters extinguished the blaze. No one was injured, although burn marks could be seen on parts of the building.

Shapiro, a Democrat seen as a potential candidate for his party's presidential nomination in 2028, said at the press conference that FBI Director Kash Patel had spoken to him a few hours earlier and promised "all the resources of the federal government" in investigating the attack.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that she was "deeply relieved" the governor and his family were safe and applauded the rapid arrest of Balmer.

The residence was set on fire hours after Shapiro posted, opens new tab a picture of his family's "seder" table as they celebrated the first night of the Jewish holiday of Passover, which is about going "from slavery into freedom," according to Shapiro.