Funerals at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, were delayed Friday as officers responded to a bomb threat.
The cemetery was evacuated about 9 a.m. and ended up being closed for the rest of the day. Nothing suspicious was found, but the investigation delayed more than two dozen funerals.
Information about the origin of the threat and how it came in was not yet available.
The cemetery conducts as many as 30 funerals on most weekdays, with families coming from all over the country to lay their loved ones to rest. It had 27 scheduled for Friday. Instead, police cars blocked off the main entrance, and hearses were left lined up along the curb on the road toward that entrance.
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One man said he came from Texas to bury his grandmother, who was a Marine. The man's grandfather is already buried at Arlington. His grandmother's funeral was supposed begin shortly after 9 a.m., but more than two hours later, he and his family were still in their cars lined up along the road, waiting for the all-clear.
"We weren't really expecting any of this. We just got here, and everything was already going on. There were cops everywhere," he said.
All of it has made what was already a difficult day even tougher.
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"So, pretty difficult. I mean, especially just standing out in the heat alone is bothersome," he said. "But, I mean, I just wish we could just get her buried and have the funeral already."
Kerry Meeker of Arlington National Cemetery said officials will accommodate the families as best as they can.
"We had 14 that were immediately impacted. And so, those are services occurring between the 9 o'clock, 10 o'clock and 11 o'clock hours," Meeker said. "And so, you know, our priority is the safety and security of those families who are coming to lay their loved ones to rest. And so, if we can execute those funerals later today safely, we will do so."
The cemetery's emergency response team worked with local law enforcement and Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall to make sure there was no actual bomb or device.
