NEW YORK: New York marked the 24th anniversary of the September 11 attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 lives and fundamentally changed the United States.
Memorial ceremonies took place at Ground Zero in Manhattan where the World Trade Center’s twin towers were destroyed in coordinated terrorist attacks.
The attacks also included a jetliner crashing into the Pentagon in Washington and Flight 93 crashing in Pennsylvania after passengers overpowered hijackers.
This year’s commemoration occurred against a tense political backdrop following the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah.
Vice President JD Vance cancelled his planned attendance at New York events to travel to Utah following Kirk’s assassination.
Kirk, a close ally of former President Donald Trump, was shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
The United States has experienced increased political violence recently, including the killing of a Democratic Minnesota lawmaker and her husband.
New York is currently undergoing a divisive mayoral election campaign featuring socialist Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani against former governor Andrew Cuomo and sitting mayor Eric Adams.
Current mayor Eric Adams attended the ceremony alongside former mayor Rudy Giuliani who led the city during the 2001 tragedy.
President Trump has repeatedly attacked Muslim candidate Mamdani, calling him a communist lunatic while some Republicans have called for his deportation.
Mamdani holds a 22-point lead in the mayoral race according to the latest New York Times and Siena polling data.
The candidate described how 9/11 marked many New Yorkers as others due to the subsequent surge in Islamophobic attacks.
The city observed a moment of silence at 8:46 am, the exact time hijacked Flight 11 struck the World Trade Center’s North Tower.
Places of worship across New York sounded bells to mark the impact while victims’ families read names of those killed at ground zero.
The official death toll stands at 2,977 people including passengers, crew, tower victims, firefighters and Pentagon personnel.
This number excludes the 19 Al-Qaeda hijackers responsible for carrying out the devastating attacks. – AFP
