The United States on Friday marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, with memorial ceremonies held across New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania to honour the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks and their aftermath.
The anniversary brought together victims’ families, survivors, first responders, public officials and thousands of mourners at the three key sites targeted or affected by the attacks.
In New York, ceremonies were held at the National September 11 Memorial at the former World Trade Center site, where more than 2,700 people were killed after hijackers crashed two commercial airliners into the Twin Towers.
The names of the victims were read aloud by family members during the ceremony, while moments of silence and the ringing of bells marked key moments in the attacks.
Seven bells were rung this year , four to commemorate the plane crashes, two for the collapse of the Twin Towers and a seventh to remember people who have since died from illnesses linked to the 9/11 attacks.
President Donald Trump attended a separate ceremony at the Pentagon, where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed on September 11, killing 184 people.
“We will never, ever forget,” Trump said during the ceremony.
He also linked the anniversary to current US national security concerns, saying the country continued to face threats from terrorism.
“There are still enemies who hate us,” Trump said. “Every day, enemies plot to curb our power and kill our citizens, including from Islamic terrorists abroad and at home. But we are ever vigilant.”
The Pentagon ceremony was attended by Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.
The New York ceremony brought together all four other living former US presidents , Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Their presence underscored the significance of the anniversary as the United States reflected on an event that reshaped its foreign policy, national security and domestic politics for decades.
The attacks began on the morning of September 11, 2001, when 19 al-Qaeda hijackers seized control of four passenger planes.
Two aircraft were flown into the World Trade Center towers in New York. A third struck the Pentagon, while United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers attempted to regain control of the aircraft.
All 40 passengers and crew members aboard Flight 93 were killed.
At the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania, mourners and relatives gathered to remember those who died after the passengers confronted the hijackers.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro described the passengers as “ordinary Americans who did an extraordinary thing”, saying their actions saved “countless lives”.
“They did not wake up that morning with the expectation that they would find themselves on the frontline of a war,” Shapiro said. “They did not let that fear control them.”
