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President Donald Trump said the alleged arsonist who attacked Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s home was “probably just a whack job”.
Cody Balmer, 38, is charged with several offenses that include attempted murder, aggravated arson, and terrorism over the attack, which took place in the early hours of Saturday, April 12.
Police said he was armed with a hammer and intended to beat Shapiro with it if the two came face-to-face.
Balmer’s mother said she tried to warn authorities in the lead-up to the attack about her son’s declining mental state after he stopped taking medication. Balmer denied in court having any mental illness.
“The attacker was not a fan of Trump, I understand, just from what I read and from what I’ve been told,” Trump told reporters on Monday in the White House.
“The attacker basically wasn’t a fan of anybody. He was probably just a whack job. Certainly, a thing like that cannot be allowed to happen.”
Trump made the remarks while telling reporters in the Oval Office Monday he isn’t aware of any motive behind the arson attack allegedly carried out by suspect Cody Balmer.
The home of Shapiro was targeted in the early hours of Saturday morning, resulting in the Democrat and his family being evacuated from their residence. No one was hurt in the arson attack, but the governor’s mansion was severely damaged.
Balmer, 38, has been arrested and charged with attempted murder, aggravated arson, burglary, terrorism, and related offenses in connection to the attack. He was denied bail following his first court appearance on Monday.
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