Arlington National Cemetery abruptly closed Friday morning due to a bomb threat sent to the cemetery via email.
An Arlington County K-9 unit was dispatched to the cemetery around 8:40 a.m. to search for the alleged threat, according to ARL. All funerals were postponed and no visitors were permitted to enter the cemetery’s ground during the investigation.
“Arlington National Cemetery officials and Joint Base Myer Henderson-Hall emergency services are currently responding to a bomb threat. The cemetery is closed to the general public and funeral services have been delayed until further notice,” the cemetery said in a statement posted to Twitter. “The cemetery’s response teams and local law enforcement partners are on site investigating the threat. The public is requested to avoid the area and wait for updates posted to our social media platforms.
2/2 The cemetery’s response teams and local law enforcement partners are on site investigating the threat. The public is requested to avoid the area and wait for updates posted to our social media platforms.
— Arlington National Cemetery (@ArlingtonNatl) September 8, 2023
The cemetery’s response teams and local law enforcement did not find any suspicious activity after surveying the area, according to a Arlington National Cemetery news release obtained by the Daily Caller. Law enforcement cleared all the areas of the cemetery. (RELATED: FBI Announces Arrest Over Bomb Threat At Boston Children’s Hospital)
Funeral services are set to resume Friday afternoon but will remain closed to the rest of the public for the remainder of the day according to the statement.
“Every threat to Arlington National Cemetery is taken seriously. I want to thank our visitors and family members for their patience and understanding, and an extensive team of our law enforcement partners across the National Capital Region for their swift and thorough response. We will spend the remainder of the day focused on our mission of laying our service members and their loved ones to rest,” Army National Military Cemeteries and Office of Army Cemeteries Executive Director Karen Durham-Aguilera said in a statement.
This story is developing…