World
Nation Prepares to Mark 25 Years Since September 11 Attacks
The United States is preparing to observe one of the most solemn anniversaries in its modern history as the nation marks 25 years since the September 11, 2001 attacks. Nearly 3,000 people were killed that morning when al-Qaida hijackers seized control of four passenger planes and flew them into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon near Washington, and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, according to the Associated Press.
What began as an ordinary Tuesday morning became one of the deadliest days in American history, watched live by millions worldwide as the Twin Towers collapsed within hours. For many Americans, the day remains a defining moment that reshaped views on safety, travel and the country's place in the world. Grief extended far beyond New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, touching communities nationwide, the AP reported.
The meaning of the attacks varies across the population, shaped by age, background, politics and personal loss. Nearly a third of the US population was born after 2001, meaning millions now learn about that day only through history lessons, memorials and survivor accounts.
The attacks unfolded over roughly 100 minutes. At 8:46 a.m., hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Seventeen minutes later, at 9:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 175 struck the South Tower, an impact seen live on television as a suspected accident turned into a confirmed attack. At 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon. The South Tower collapsed at 9:59 a.m., followed by the North Tower at 10:28 a.m.
A fourth hijacked plane, United Airlines Flight 93, was believed headed for a target in Washington, DC. Passengers and crew, who had learned of the earlier attacks through phone calls, fought back against the hijackers, and the plane crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at 10:03 a.m., killing everyone aboard but preventing it from reaching its intended target, according to USA Today. Rescue workers spent weeks searching the rubble in New York for survivors and remains.
The 19 hijackers spent months preparing, with some entering the United States as early as 2000, USA Today reported. Most entered legally on tourist or business visas, and several took flight lessons at US schools to learn to pilot, though not land, commercial aircraft. They operated in small cells across states including Florida, California and Virginia before converging to board the four flights.
The attacks were planned by al-Qaida, led by Osama bin Laden. Investigators say the plot was organized by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, with bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, overseeing the operation. The 19 hijackers were led by Mohamed Atta, who piloted the plane that struck the North Tower. Bin Laden was killed by US forces in Pakistan in 2011, and al-Zawahri died in a US drone strike in Afghanistan in 2022. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed remains held at Guantanamo Bay, where he and three co-defendants are scheduled to face a military tribunal in 2028.
A total of 2,977 people were killed in the attacks, not counting the 19 hijackers, according to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, making it the deadliest attack by a foreign group ever carried out on US soil.
President George W. Bush was visiting an elementary school in Sarasota, Florida, sitting in on a reading lesson, when his chief of staff, Andrew Card, informed him that a plane had struck the World Trade Center. Bush briefly continued the visit before being pulled away as the scale of the attacks became clear, later addressing the nation that evening, according to USA Today.
Rudy Giuliani, then mayor of New York City, became a national figure for leading the city through the aftermath and recovery, earning the nickname "America's Mayor."
This year's ceremony will be the first attended by current New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and it has become entangled in political controversy. Giuliani publicly urged Mamdani, the city's first Muslim mayor, not to attend, making unfounded claims about his faith. Mamdani has said he plans to attend, as he did last year while still a state assemblyman, calling September 11 a day for the city to come together "not as individuals, but as New Yorkers."
Ahead of the anniversary, Mamdani signed executive orders designating September 11 as a citywide "Day of Remembrance and Service" and announced steps to modernize the city's emergency preparedness framework. His administration also released more than 170,000 pages of city records on the government's response to the attacks, including material on air quality at Ground Zero, resolving a long-running legal dispute with a 9/11 health advocacy group. Mamdani said the records showed New Yorkers were told the air was safe when it was not, noting that more FDNY members have since died from 9/11-related illness than were killed in the attacks themselves.
Twenty-five years later, the attacks continue to shape daily life in the US, from airport security to national policy and public memory. Ceremonies across the country will honor the victims and pass the story on to those born after 2001, who now make up nearly a third of the US population, according to the AP.