The United States held a somber ceremony on Friday to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Events took place across the country, including wreath-laying ceremonies, moments of silence, vigils, readings of victims’ names, and volunteer activities. On that day in 2001, hijackers from the extremist group al-Qaeda seized four commercial jets and crashed them into New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in those attacks. The official death toll was 2,977 victims, excluding the 19 hijackers. At Ground Zero, relatives again read the names of those killed in the attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. For the first time, the ceremony included a seventh moment of silence for people who later died from 9/11-related illnesses.
U.S. President Donald Trump attended a ceremony at the Pentagon instead of New York, according to Euronews. Trump linked the post-9/11 war on terror to the current conflict in Iran during his remarks. He said, 'Today we renew the sacred oath that we first swore in their names a quarter of a century ago. We will never, ever forget. That's why we fight today.'
The attacks had a lasting impact on many areas of American life, including debates over the balance between security and freedom. Air travel changed significantly after the events, with new safety protocols introduced. The Department of Homeland Security was formed, and new surveillance powers were granted to federal agencies. A culture of vigilance developed, with the slogan 'if you see something, say something' becoming widely known. Many Americans were inspired to join military, police, or fire departments in response to the attacks. Reuters reported that more than 600 FDNY firefighters have now died from illnesses linked to their work during and after the attacks.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended a ceremony at Ground Zero despite criticism from some groups. A petition signed by over 100,000 people urged him not to attend the event. The petition accused Mamdani of connections to individuals who were seen as dismissive of U.S. institutions or aligned with extremist ideologies. Mamdani had recently been praised for releasing documents about toxic air exposure in Lower Manhattan after the attacks, which have been linked to cancer cases among thousands of residents. Mamdani's administration released more than 170,000 pages of city records about air quality, health concerns and the government's response after the attacks. The release was part of a settlement ending two lawsuits brought by 9/11 Health Watch.
Former President George W. Bush shared images created to mark the 25th anniversary of September 11, according to a report from The Hill. One painting shows him receiving news about the attacks while reading to children at an elementary school in Florida. Bush wears a shocked expression in the image. The artwork is part of an exhibition at his presidential center in Dallas. Other pieces in the exhibit include images of smoke rising from New York City and a police badge of an officer killed during the attacks. Bush said that the events were not just a law enforcement matter but a war. The “Remembering 9/11” exhibition includes 16 new paintings by Bush and will remain on display through September.
Several U.S. presidents attended a memorial service at Ground Zero in New York City. Former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden attended along with Vice President JD Vance.
The Central Intelligence Agency released documents related to the attacks, including some that had never been public before, the BBC reported. The CIA release contained 71 President's Daily Briefs covering the period from 1998 through the day after the attacks. These documents were created during both the Clinton and Bush administrations. They show growing concern about al-Qaeda and its leader, Osama Bin Laden. One 1998 brief from the CIA said that al-Qaeda might fly an explosive-packed airplane into a U.S. city. A separate briefing from September 12, 2001, said that the existence of the 9/11 plot had been widely known among extremists.
The intelligence community had long recognized Bin Laden and al-Qaeda as threats. In August 1998, the group attacked U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224 people. The U.S. responded by launching cruise missile strikes against targets in Afghanistan and Sudan. Only one of the released presidential briefings came after the attacks occurred. It was sent to the White House just under 20 hours after the first plane hit the World Trade Center. Another document said that Bin Laden may have moved to Kabul to avoid conflict with Taliban leaders. The Taliban leader Mullah Omar was reportedly evacuated from Kandahar shortly after the attacks. Less than a month later, the U.S. and its allies launched an invasion of Afghanistan to dismantle al-Qaeda.