Cody Balmer pleads guilty to arson attack on Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's residence

Thirty-eight-year-old Pennsylvanian Cody Balmer pleaded guilty to setting fire to the residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was sleeping inside with his wife, three children and several guests. All managed to be evacuated unharmed.

As part of a plea deal, he accepted, among other charges, attempted murder of Shapiro, burglary and arson. The latter one was for each of the 22 people inside the residence, including visiting relatives of the politician and uniformed officers in charge of his security.

Also as part of the plea agreement, Balmer will receive a sentence of 25 to 50 years in prison. He will not be eligible for parole until 2050, when he will be 63 years old.

The attack occurred on April 13, when, the prosecution explained, the convicted man climbed over the fence of the governor's mansion. He was carrying two Molotov cocktails, portable incendiary weapons with gasoline and a sledgehammer. After throwing a Molotov cocktail through one window, he entered through another, igniting another one in the dining room.

He was arrested later that day after turning himself in to police. "For reasons, Balmer cited the military actions of the State of Israel in Gaza," the Dauphin County District Attorney's Office told Crime Watch. "He said that, if he came upon the governor, he would have struck him with the hammer," which, "would be deadly force and supports intent and act necessary to prove attempted murder."