U.S. marks 25 years since the September 11 attacks

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Flags, flowers, photographs and a stuffed toy are placed on the names of victims at the 9/11 Memorial during a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, in New York City, U.S., September 11, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Americans commemorated the 25th anniversary of 9/11 on Friday (September 11, 2026), remembering the shock, the dead and the sweeping consequences of the al-Qaeda attacks on symbols of U.S. might and prosperity.

The milestone anniversary brought memorial rituals — wreath-laying, flag-flying, moments of silence, vigils and readings of victims' names — and volunteer projects in tribute to a day that about half of U.S. adults remember as the most historic event of their lifetime, according to a new poll. On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda extremists hijacked four commercial jets and crashed them into New York’s World Trade Centre, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing nearly 3,000 people.

Elsie Caldwell carried a photograph of her son, Kenny Caldwell, to the trade centre to hear his name and all the others read aloud Friday morning (September 11, 2026). She last spoke to him that morning a quarter-century ago.

“Mom, I just want to let you know that I love you,” Ms. Caldwell said he told her in a final phone call. She is one of many relatives of victims whose remains never were recovered.

The attacks brought down the World Trade Centre's twin towers — icons of U.S. economic power and among the tallest buildings on Earth — and blew a hole in the Pentagon, the U.S. military's fortress-like headquarters near Washington. The fourth plane was headed for the nation's capital, officials concluded, but the aircraft went down in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew members stormed the cockpit and fought the hijackers.

“In the course of history, there are a few moments that divide time into, really, what came before and after, President Donald Trump said at a 9/11 remembrance in Washington this week. The Republican, who was in his native New York on September 11 and has often recounted his memories, attended the Pentagon's anniversary ceremony Friday (September 11, 2026).

Former President George W. Bush, who was in office on 9/11, and former Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden and current Vice President J.D. Vance convened for the observance at the National September 11 Memorial in New York. Other administration officials went to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania.

For Angilic Casalduc, attending the New York commemoration “helps to show you’re not alone.” She lost her mother, Vivian Casalduc.

“There’s no timeline for grief, and unfortunately, no one can say how you can grieve, but coming here once a year makes it feel just a little bit better,” she said.

Traditionally, there are no political speeches at the ground zero commemoration, where victims' relatives read aloud the long list of names and add personal messages.