Pennsylvania Man Charged with Arson, Planned Attack on Gov. Shapiro

Cody Balmer, a 38-year-old man from Harrisburg, has been arrested and charged with attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson, and aggravated assault after allegedly setting fire to the Pennsylvania governor's mansion early Sunday morning. Authorities report that Balmer used Molotov cocktails to ignite the blaze and expressed intentions to attack Governor Josh Shapiro with a hammer if he had encountered him during the incident. Fortunately, Shapiro and his family, who were asleep in the residence after hosting a Passover dinner, evacuated without injury. Balmer had traveled an hour from his home, scaled a fence, and broke windows before starting the fire, later turning himself in to police. His mother indicated that he suffers from mental illness and had not been taking his medication, which she believes contributed to his actions. The investigation is ongoing, and while there are no explicit political motivations confirmed, Balmer's social media history includes posts critical of political figures.