America Remembers 9/11 at 25-Year Milestone

The United States marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks with ceremonies at the World Trade Center site in New York, the Pentagon and the Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed when hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. Moments of silence were observed at the times of the attacks, while the names of the dead were read aloud during a ceremony lasting almost four hours. The Tribute in Light illuminated the Manhattan skyline, and landmarks across New York were lit in blue. President Donald Trump led the Pentagon ceremony, where he invoked the “war on terror” that followed 9/11 and linked it to his current confrontation with Iran. Vice-President JD Vance joined former Presidents George W Bush, Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as the former first ladies, at the New York memorial. Bush was president during the attacks. The article also highlights the continuing human cost of 9/11. Survivor Janice Brooks described escaping the South Tower and witnessing the devastation after the second plane struck. A seventh bell was rung this year to remember people who later died from illnesses linked to dust and smoke at Ground Zero. US health officials say those post-9/11 diseases have caused more than three times as many deaths as the attacks themselves. Terry Strada, whose husband was killed, criticized Saudi Arabia and US officials over what she described as a lack of accountability, although the 9/11 Commission found no evidence that the Saudi government or senior officials funded al-Qaeda. Commemorations also took place in London, Toronto, Gander and Milan. Gander was honored for sheltering thousands of stranded airline passengers after the attacks, while former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien used the occasion to emphasize Canada’s generosity and independence amid strained US-Canadian relations.

The article commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks through an overview of the events and a collection of photographs from remembrance ceremonies across the United States. On that day, al-Qaeda-backed terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners. Two planes struck New York’s World Trade Center, a third hit the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, and a fourth crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers attempted to retake control. The attacks killed 2,977 people, excluding the 19 hijackers, and became the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil. The article also describes the broader consequences of the attacks, including the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan, the subsequent “war on terror,” and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. On Sept. 11, 2026, ceremonies and moments of silence were held at the three attack sites: ground zero in New York, the Pentagon, and the Flight 93 memorial site in Pennsylvania. Former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Vice President JD Vance, and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended the ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. President Donald Trump attended and spoke at the Pentagon ceremony. The accompanying images show survivors, victims’ relatives, firefighters, police officers, military personnel, government officials and other visitors paying tribute. Scenes include people visiting reflecting pools, honoring fallen first responders, viewing memorials, and gathering at the Flight 93 crash site. One image depicts sunlight forming two columns in the World Trade Center’s Oculus, symbolizing the twin towers.

The article reports that relatives of victims used the 25th-anniversary remembrance ceremony for the September 11, 2001, attacks to publicly accuse Saudi Arabia of aiding or enabling the attacks and to criticize successive US administrations for failing to hold Riyadh accountable. The attacks were carried out primarily by Saudi hijackers and orchestrated by Osama bin Laden, a Saudi national and founder of al-Qaida. Although the United States maintains close military and diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, the families say the kingdom supported a broader culture of anti-American terrorism and sent agents to assist the hijackers. Terry Strada, widow of victim Tom Strada and national chair of 9/11 Families United, said the families had secured a court hearing for their allegations and demanded justice. Speaking before former presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as well as Vice President JD Vance, she argued that successive administrations had protected Saudi Arabia rather than the victims’ families. She urged President Donald Trump, who did not attend the New York ceremony, to pressure Riyadh and release evidence. Another participant called on Trump to publish unredacted files allegedly implicating Saudi Arabia and referred to a supposed “deep state” cover-up. The comments were unusual because the annual reading of victims’ names at the National September 11 Memorial is generally solemn and apolitical. Trump separately attended a ceremony at the Pentagon with First Lady Melania Trump, where the names of 184 people killed there were read. He commemorated nearly 3,000 victims killed at the Pentagon, the World Trade Center and in Pennsylvania, and said the attacks strengthened America’s resolve. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and military officials also marked the anniversary by watching a large American flag being unfurled at the Pentagon.

Former Canadian prime minister Jean Chrétien delivered a pointed message to the United States during a ceremony in Gander, Newfoundland, marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Speaking in the town that welcomed thousands of stranded airline passengers after the US government closed its airspace in 2001, Chrétien told Americans not to mistake Canada’s generosity for weakness. Chrétien, who was Canada’s prime minister when the attacks occurred, received a standing ovation after saying that Canadians may be tolerant and kind but “bow to no one.” He emphasized that his comments were not intended as an angry provocation, but as an honest message from one friend to another. US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra subsequently rose and hugged him. The ceremony honored the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks in New York, at the Pentagon and aboard United Airlines Flight 93. It also remembered Gander’s extraordinary humanitarian response. The Newfoundland town accommodated nearly 6,600 passengers whose flights were diverted when US airspace was shut down following the attacks. Chrétien’s remarks carried added significance because Canada and the United States are currently facing strained relations. The traditionally close allies are engaged in a trade war under US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly suggested that Canada should become the 51st US state. Against that backdrop, Chrétien’s speech combined remembrance of the countries’ past solidarity with a firm defense of Canadian independence and dignity. The report presents his comments as unusually blunt but rooted in the expectation that longstanding allies should speak candidly to one another.