US marks 25th anniversary of September 11 attacks
The United States on Friday commemorated the 25th anniversary of the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, with ceremonies held across the country including in New York, where the city's first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani, took part despite calls for him to stay away.
The United States held solemn ceremonies on Friday to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Nationwide commemorations included wreath-laying ceremonies, moments of silence, vigils, readings of victims' names and volunteer initiatives.
On 11 September 2001, hijackers from the Islamist 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, killing nearly 3,000 people.
US President Donald Trump attended a ceremony at the Pentagon rather than in New York, a choice that drew criticism from some victims' relatives. In his remarks, he linked the "war on terror" launched after 9/11 to the current situation involving Iran, saying the country was renewing the oath it swore a quarter of a century ago and that this was why it continued to fight.
Security versus freedom
The attacks left a lasting mark on American life, reshaping air travel security, prompting the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, and leading to new federal surveillance, intelligence and banking regulations. They also fostered a culture of public vigilance and a wave of patriotism that drove many Americans to join the military, fire departments and police.
New York mayor joins ceremony despite criticism
The attacks also fuelled mistrust and hate crimes against Muslims in the US. Twenty-five years on, Muslim Americans hold a growing role in public life, exemplified by Zohran Mamdani, New York City's first Muslim mayor. He attended Friday's Ground Zero ceremony despite a campaign, backed by former mayor Rudy Giuliani and the New York Post, urging him not to appear. A petition supporting that call gathered more than 100,000 signatures and accused Mamdani of ties to figures viewed as dismissive of US institutions or holding extremist views. Mamdani was recently praised for releasing documents showing what city officials knew about toxic air in Lower Manhattan after 9/11, exposure linked to cancers affecting thousands of New Yorkers.
