Suspect in arson at the house of the governor of Pennsylvania because of the Gaza War

Suspect in arson at the house of the governor of Pennsylvania because of the Gaza War

Cody Balmer, the man who is accused of having set fire to the House of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, reported that the 911 emergency call center reported and stated that he had partially targeted the governor because of his views of the war in Gaza. This information comes from a decision that CNN received from Dauphin County from District Prosecutor.

Details of the incident

The decision, first published by the news website Pennlive, reports that Balmer called 911 in the early Sunday morning after the fire in the governor's residence broke out. He should have said that Shapiro must know that "he will not be part of his plans as he would like to proceed with the Palestinian people."

reactions and investigations

Balmer also expressed that Shapiro had to "stop having my friends killed" and that "our people from this monster went through too much". According to the decision, Balmer sounds as if he may read from a script. So far, the law enforcement authorities have not clearly explained whether Balmer's alleged attack was motivated by hatred or anti -Semitism.

figures of the investigation

"I can't say anything directly because it is not in the protocol," the district prosecutor Fran Chardo told CNN when he was asked whether anti -Semitism was the motive for the arson attack. "We are examining the possibility that it was directed against the religion of the governor and his views of Israel," added Chardo.

On Monday, a source confidored to determine was reported that there was no indication of anti -Semitism, but continued to investigate Balmer and his motives. On Tuesday, Chardo told a CNN combination that they had evidence that Balmer had referred to the faith of the governor.

mental health and background of Balmer

During his hearing on Monday, Balmer was not charged with any additional crimes related to hatred. Governor Shapiro, who celebrated the Passahfest with his family just a few hours before the incident, emphasized in a press conference, proud of his Jewish faith and said: “When he tried to intimidate our family, our friends and the Jewish community, which accompanied us at a Passover show last night, we will listen to me: We have proudly celebrated our faith in a few hours Celebrate Passah-Seder. “

Balmer, 38 years old, has had to struggle with personal and financial problems in recent years, including allegations of having attacked his wife and small children during a suiz attempt. Investigators believe that psychological problems could have played a role, according to a source familiar with the investigation.

political views of Balmer

Balmer has shared several Facebook posts that critically comment on former President Joe Biden; However, he does not seem to have mentioned governor Shapiro, also a democrat. In a police interview, Balmer confessed to "hate" to Shapiro and explained that he had hit the governor with a hammer if he had found him during the attack.

Balmer is registered as a voter in Pennsylvania, but is not connected to any political party. He has posted several posts on his Facebook account since 2021 in which he criticized bidges.

summary of incidents

On January 1, 2021, Balmer commented in a post, among other things, that "bidding supporters should not exist" and asked where they were at the first start of election. Another post from the same month was "Rip Joe Biden ... .. Who invented this saying, that is only in May. #Nichtmeinemocrat". In September 2021, Balmer published a meme that criticized bidges with the US deduction from Afghanistan, and in June 2022 he published a picture of a Molotov cocktail, the same tool that the authorities said to start the fires in Shapiro's residence.

"Be the light you want to see in the world" was the original text of the picture.

Dakin Andone, Josh Campbell, Zoe Sottile and Hannah Rabinowitz from CNN at.