Arlington National Cemetery Evacuated After Bomb Threat

Arlington National Cemetery was evacuated Wednesday morning after a bomb threat, officials say.All [...]

By Libby Birk

Arlington National Cemetery was evacuated Wednesday morning after a bomb threat, officials say.

All visitors and staff were safely removed from the area and that emergency services were investigating, according to a statement from the cemetery.

"Arlington National Cemetery officials and @JBMHH emergency services are currently responding to a #BombThreat to the cemetery," the statement, released on social media, read. "All families, visitors and employees have been evacuated safely from all public buildings and work areas while the threat is being investigated."

Barbara Lewandrowski, a spokeswoman for Arlington National Cemetery, told the Washington Post that the facilities and grounds were evacuated at about 9:30 a.m. She said there were no reports of injuries and that everyone was evacuated safely. The threat was made to the cemetery as a whole and not one specific area on its 634-acre site.

In an update shared at 11:41 a.m. ET, the cemetery tweeted that it would be temporarily closed, but still open for funeral services.

"#UPDATE: As of 11:30 a.m., the cemetery is temporarily closed to the general public but is open for conducting funeral services," the tweet wrote. "We will continue to post updates as they become available."

NBC4 Washington reports that officials with the cemetery and Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall were responding.

Lewandrowski said officials are checking "every single part of the grounds and facilities." The threat is reportedly still under investigation. Information on how the threat was made was not immediately available.

The cemetery's official Twitter account wrote around 11 a.m. ET that it "will update the public as soon as we have additional information."

This story is developing...

Trending Now: