New York has marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with a solemn commemoration at Ground Zero, honouring the 2,977 people killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93. Families of victims gathered at the 9/11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan for the annual reading of the victims’ names, accompanied by moments of silence marking key moments of the attacks and the collapse of the Twin Towers, as reported by BBC News and NBC News.
The 2026 ceremony carries particular significance as the first quarter century milestone since the attacks. This year’s observance includes a seventh moment of silence to honour people who later died from illnesses linked to exposure to toxic dust following the collapse of the World Trade Center. More than 600 firefighters have died from related illnesses since the attacks, adding a continuing dimension to the anniversary for New York’s first responders and their families.
The anniversary has brought together an unusually broad group of national and city leaders. Vice President JD Vance and all four living former presidents, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, are attending the New York observance alongside Mayor Zohran Mamdani and victims’ relatives, while President Donald Trump is marking the anniversary separately at the Pentagon. The presence of political leaders from different eras underscores the enduring national significance of the attacks and their far reaching impact on American security, foreign policy and public life.
Across New York, the commemoration extends beyond Ground Zero through firefighter tributes, public remembrance events and the annual Tribute in Light, which illuminates the Manhattan skyline in memory of those killed. Twenty five years later, the anniversary has become both an act of remembrance and a reflection on the lasting consequences of 9/11, including the health crisis among first responders, changes to national security policy and the responsibility to preserve the history of the attacks for generations who were born after 2001.
