Suspect in Shapiro arson attack cited plight of Palestinians: Police

The suspect arrested in connection to the arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s (D) home cited the plight of Palestinians as his motivation, according to a probable cause affidavit filed by the Pennsylvania State Police.

The affidavit relays details of a 911 call that the suspect, Cody Allen Balmer, allegedly placed to Dauphin County 911 after the arson attack this weekend.

Police say Balmer identified himself by name and told the 911 operator that Shapiro “needs to know that he … ‘will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,’” the affidavit read.

The affidavit continued: “BALMER continues saying he needs to stop having my friends killed, and … ‘our people have been put through too much by that monster.’”

Balmer, according to the call log and state police, referred to the damage done to the governor’s mansion and said “all he has is a banquet hall to clean up.”

“You all know where to find me. I’m not hiding, and I will confess to everything that I had done,” Balmer told the 911 operator, according to the affidavit.

Balmer was arrested Sunday in connection to the attack and is facing multiple charges, including attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault against an enumerated person, burglary, among other charges.

The attack occurred at approximately 2 a.m. Sunday, after the governor held a Seder at his house for the first night of Passover. Shapiro — a rising star in the Democratic party who nearly became then-Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate in the 2024 presidential election — is Jewish.

Search warrants issued for residences and locations connected to Balmer instructed officials to search and seize various electronic devices in addition to “any writings or notes that contain any of the following: the name of Josh Shapiro; reference to Palestine, Gaza, Israel or the current conflict in Gaza.”