New York marked the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on Thursday with the annual ceremony at Ground Zero, where families gathered to read the names of the 2,983 people killed in the deadliest attack on U.S. soil. At 8:46 a.m., a silver bell rang — the exact moment 25 years earlier when an American Airlines plane struck the north tower of the World Trade Center.
Relatives in black clothing and white ribbons took turns reading the victims’ names, and some broke down in tears as they spoke. This year’s remembrance also included, for the first time, a moment of silence honoring rescue workers and recovery crews who later died from 9/11-related illnesses.
A new generation also took part in the ceremony, with descendants who were not yet born on Sept. 11, 2001, stepping to the podium to read the names of family members they never met. Vice President JD Vance and former Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton attended the New York observance, while President Donald Trump went to a memorial event at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.
Family member Terry Strada said justice has not yet been served regarding Saudi Arabia’s responsibility and asked Vance to pass that message along to Trump. After sunset, two beams of light known as Tribute in Light were set to illuminate the Manhattan skyline in memory of the fallen twin towers.
