Cody Balmer, the 38-year-old man who firebombed the Pennsylvania governor's mansion in Harrisburg, was driven to carry out the act based on his anger over what Governor Josh Shapiro "wants to do to the Palestinian people." Police listed this as a motive in their search warrant for the home of Balmer's parents, where he was living, along with his storage unit and electronics.
A statement from Corporal Benjamin Forsythe of the Pennsylvania State Police in the warrant said that Balmer went after Shapiro "based upon perceived injustices to the people of Palestine" and Shapiro's Jewish faith.
Police found Balmer's cell phone wrapped in foil. Officers said Balmer's actions "followed the 'terrorist attack cycle,' a series of steps terrorists take while committing an act of terrorism: preliminary target selection, initial surveillance and pre-attack surveillance, planning and execution and escape and exploitation."
The warrant, obtained by Penn Live, also reveals that Balmer phoned 911 less than an hour after the attack, telling operators who he was, and leaving a direct message for Shapiro. Balmer said he "will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people."
The warrant went on to reveal that Balmer said Shapiro must "stop having my friends killed" and that "...our people have been put through too much by that monster." The warrant states that Balmer sounded like he was reading his message from a script.
"You all know where to find me," Balmer said. "I'm not hiding, and I will confess to everything that I had done." Balmer's ex-girlfriend also reached out to police to say that Balmer told her he had committed the arson attack. Balmer later surrendered to Harrisburg police.
A search of the storage space uncovered stickers supporting Che Guevara. Police also have security footage showing Balmer "scaling the security fence surrounding the Governor’s Residence, using a hammer to break windows and climbing inside to throw Molotov cocktails and start a fire," per Penn Live.
Balmer could be charged with "ethnic intimidation," per Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo. He is also facing 100 years in prison on charges of attempted murder, aggravated arson and terrorism.
