Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s burial in Virginia is legal, according to the county sheriff.
Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was buried at a Doswell cemetery last Thursday, angering some in the community after it was claimed that authorities were not consulted about the Muslim burial.
Neighbors of the cemetery have argued that a police presence will be needed at the cemetery while Caroline County officials investigated whether the burial had been done properly and legally.
Caroline County Sheriff Tony Lippa said in a statement that the official paperwork including the death certificate and burial permit were in order.
Tony Lippa said: “It would appear that all paperwork is in order at this point.
“Like the rest of America, the citizens of this county were outraged by the Boston Marathon Bombings. We too mourned for the loss of life, prayed for the survivors, and offered our support.
“Unfortunately we now find ourselves forever connected to this tragedy in the most unsavory way – as the final resting place of one of the alleged terrorist.”
The sheriff’s office will provide the same amount of protection to Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s burial site as any other cemetery in Caroline County.
The statement said: “The Caroline County Sheriff’s Office cannot, nor will we, divert our limited resources towards the protection of a single gravesite, especially one belonging to that of a terrorist.”
Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s remains were rejected by cemeteries in many cities for fear of desecration and demonstrations.
Sheriff Tony Lippa said last week that he learned of the burial from the media and added that the county does not have the money to provide security and that it will be the cemetery’s responsibility.
The cemetery director told MyFoxBoston that he is not concerned about adding security and added that Doswell is a close community.
He also shared details of Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s burial, saying he was buried in a small ceremony Thursday morning after being draped in three white sheets and laid on his right side to face Mecca.
The cemetery director declined to say who was in attendance.
The decision to bury Tamerlan Tsarnaev in the small Islamic cemetery in rural Virginia has also sparked fury some members of the area’s Islamic community, who say they weren’t consulted, according to the Associated Press.
Imam Ammar Amonette, of the Islamic Center of Virginia, said that his group was never consulted.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev was buried under a shroud of secrecy Wednesday evening at the Al-Barzakh Cemetery in central Virginia, about 15 miles from Richmond.
Martha Mullen, a professional counselor who has a degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, said she coordinated the clandestine burial with the help of the Islamic Society of Greater Richmond after a number of cemeteries refused to take his body.
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