By Ghazali Ibrahim
New York City on Friday marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, with victims’ families, political leaders and members of the public gathering at Ground Zero to honour the nearly 3,000 people killed.
The solemn ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial began with a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., the time American Airlines Flight 11 struck the World Trade Center’s North Tower. Families later read the names of those killed in the attacks.
A new feature of this year’s commemoration was a seventh moment of silence for thousands of first responders, rescue workers and others who have died from illnesses linked to exposure to toxic dust at Ground Zero after the attacks.
Vice President JD Vance joined victims’ families and former US presidents at the New York ceremony, while President Donald Trump attended a separate remembrance at the Pentagon. Another ceremony was held at the Flight 93 crash site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The September 11 attacks killed 2,977 people after hijackers crashed four commercial aircraft into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. The attacks transformed US security and foreign policy and continued to shape American society a quarter-century later.
In New York, the annual remembrance also serves as a reflection on the city’s recovery from one of the darkest days in its history and the lasting impact on families and survivors.
