Suspect held after fire at governor’s home

A man suspected of setting fire to the Pennsylvania Governor’s residence has been arrested.

Charred interior of the Pennsylvania governor's official residence. Picture: Commonwealth Media Services/Governor Shapiro office

A man suspected of setting fire to the Pennsylvania Governor’s residence, forcing Josh Shapiro and his family to evacuate, has been arrested and is expected to be charged with attempted murder and terrorism, authorities said on Sunday (local time).

Mr Shapiro and his family had to flee the mansion in Harrisburg early on Sunday after a fire broke out around 2am. It was brought under control after about 20 minutes.

Pennsylvania state police said they were investigating it as an act of arson. At a press conference on Sunday, authorities identified the suspect as Cody Balmer, 38.

Mr Balmer is accused of breaching a fence to get on to the property and forcibly entering the building, authorities said.

He was inside the governor’s mansion for less than a minute, according to law enforcement officials, who said he had homemade incendiary devices. The suspect was able to avoid security and exit the property, but was later taken into custody.

The fire broke out around 2am. Picture: Commonwealth Media Services/Governor Shapiro office

Authorities didn’t provide a motive for the suspected arson. Potential charges include attempted murder, terrorism, aggravated arson and aggravated assault, authorities said.

Mr Shapiro became emotional as he spoke about the messages of support he and his family had received.

“This attack was targeted. We don’t know the person’s specific motive yet,” he said. “But it has to stop. We have to be better than this.”

Charred interior of the Georgian-style mansion. Picture: Commonwealth Media Services/Governor Shapiro office

The Governor and his family were woken by state police officers banging on the door, Mr Shapiro said.

In pictures shared on social media, char marks extend up an exterior wall of the brick building and at least one window is burned out.

The fire caused a significant amount of damage to part of the Georgian-style mansion, which is located on the Susquehanna River, police said, adding that the Governor and his family were in a different part of the residence. No one was injured.

At least one window was burned out. Picture: AP Photo/Marc Levy

Mr Shapiro, a Democrat, has been Governor since 2023. His career in government began as a state representative in 2005 and includes a six-year stint as state attorney-general.

Meanwhile, a Wisconsin teenager, charged in the deaths of his parents, faces wider allegations that he killed them to “obtain the financial means” to assassinate Donald Trump and overthrow the government, a recently unsealed federal warrant says.

Nikita Casap, 17, was charged in March by Waukesha County authorities with first-degree murder, theft and other crimes in relation to the deaths of his mother, Tatiana Casap, and his stepfather, Donald Mayer.

The search warrant also claims “Casap appears to have written a manifest calling for the assassination of the President of the US. He was in touch with other parties about his plan to kill the President and overthrow the government of the US”.

The Wall Street Journal