U.S. Marks 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Attacks

The United States marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, in which 19 al-Qaida hijackers seized four planes, killing 2,977 people at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania. In New York, families read the victims’ names at Ground Zero amid moments of silence and bell tolls, with former presidents and Vice President JD Vance attending, while President Donald Trump held a separate observance at the Pentagon. The New York ceremony featured political tensions over the participation of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, and criticism of Saudi Arabia from a victims’ family member. Communities nationwide, including Charlotte, Maine and Brooklyn, held ceremonies, wreath-layings, memorial gatherings and stair climbs honoring victims and first responders, with local artifacts and landmarks preserving stories of loss, survival and recovery. LGBTQ advocates also remembered gay victims and heroes, including pilot David Charlebois and passenger Mark Bingham, while highlighting the solidarity shown by LGBTQ communities and their allies after the attacks.