{"id":7144,"date":"2026-09-14T19:55:40","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T19:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/?p=7144"},"modified":"2026-09-14T19:56:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T19:56:26","slug":"us-marks-25th-anniversary-of-9-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/realstoryus.com\/?p=7144","title":{"rendered":"US marks 25th anniversary of 9\/11"},"content":{"rendered":"
US marks 25th anniversary of 9\/11: NEW YORK: <\/b>The United States on Friday commemorated the 25th anniversary of the devastating September 11, 2001 attacks with a poignant ceremony in New York marked by President Donald Trump\u2019s absence and searing criticism from victims\u2019 relatives. In an unusual move, Trump paid his respects at the Pentagon, not the event in New York, where hijacked planes destroyed the World Trade Center and most of the 2,977 victims were killed, upending the global status quo.<\/span><\/div>\n
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The Republican billionaire sought to link the “war on terror\u201d that followed 9\/11, which sparked years of US involvement in Middle East wars, with his current conflict in Iran. “Today we renew the sacred oath that we first swore in their names a quarter of a century ago.<\/p>\n

We will never, ever forget. That\u2019s why we fight today,\u201d Trump said. “We don\u2019t have a choice. There can only be victory. We fight hard. We fight to win.\u201d Vice President JD Vance and Trump\u2019s four living predecessors\u2014Republican George W. Bush, who was in office during the attacks, and Democrats Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton\u2014attended the event at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan.<\/p>\n

There, a huge crowd gathered for the somber annual ceremony, which retraced the events of 9\/11 minute by minute, concluding shortly before 1:00 pm. As usual, the names of the victims were read out, and a bell was rung to mark major moments in the attack. The event is generally apolitical with no speeches. But several bereaved family members who read out the names of those killed criticized Saudi Arabia and US leaders\u2019 closeness to the kingdom.<\/p>\n

\u2018We have no justice\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n

Terry Strada, whose husband Tom Strada died in the Twin Towers, unleashed a stinging attack on Riyadh, accusing it of complicity in the attacks, and denouncing former presidents who were in attendance. “You are missed more with each year that passes, but how can it be 25 years and still we have no justice for the role that Saudi Arabia played in your murder?\u201d she said. The September 11, 2001 attacks were carried out by mostly Saudi hijackers and orchestrated by Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, a wealthy Saudi.<\/p>\n

“For 25 years, administration after administration\u2014including leaders in front of us here today\u2014chose to protect the Saudis instead of standing with a 9\/11 family,\u201d Strada said, calling for action from the absent Trump. In New York, Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the Big Apple\u2019s first Muslim leader, attended the Ground Zero event despite a campaign urging him to stay away. That effort was spearheaded by the right-wing New York Post newspaper and former mayor and Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, who led the city through the crisis and was also present on Friday. The petition gathered more than 100,000 signatures.<\/p>\n

A small anti-Islam protest gathered at City Hall and marched towards Ground Zero, flanked by a heavy police presence and counter-protesters. Mamdani won plaudits for revealing thousands of documents showing what city officials knew about toxicity levels of the air in Lower Manhattan following the attacks. After the initial dust cloud that followed the collapse of the World Trade Center, months of pollution and lingering dust ensued, causing cancers from which thousands of New Yorkers still suffer today. The CIA also declassified and published dozens of 9\/11-related presidential intelligence briefs to coincide with the 25th anniversary.<\/p>\n

\u2018New York did recover\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n

Nineteen Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four airliners on the nearly cloudless autumn day in 2001. Two of the jets slammed into the World Trade Center\u2019s Twin Towers, causing the iconic skyscrapers to collapse. A third plane struck the Pentagon, while a fourth\u2014believed to have been aiming for Congress or the White House\u2014crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers fought back. Some 100 million Americans have been born since or are too young to remember the traumatic day.<\/p>\n

Sophia Rotunno, 58, recalls watching the first tower fall with colleagues back in 2001, and also remembers helping those affected in the aftermath. “All we could do is support them, and be there for when they went to memorials, or be there for when they came home, and hug them, and pray for them,\u201d she said. “It was a hard time for everybody afterward\u2014and New York did recover.\u201d Al-Qaeda meanwhile marked the anniversary by releasing a video showing images of the late Bin Laden and his son Hamza, who Trump said in 2019 had also been killed. – AFP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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LAST UPDATE: September 12, 2026 11:16 PM<\/div>\n
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25 Years After 9\/11, a Nation Gathers to Remember<\/h1>\n

Solemn ceremonies at ground zero in New York, and across the United States, mourned the thousands of lives lost. President Trump paid tribute to the victims in a speech at the Pentagon.<\/p>\n

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Trump, Mamdani and AOC Face Criticism Over Reactions to 9\/11 Commemorations<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n

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President Donald Trump<\/a>, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani<\/a> and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez faced backlash Friday over their appearances at 9\/11 commemorations, with critics accusing them of inappropriate behavior.<\/p>\n

At Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan, Mamdani and Ocasio-Cortez faced criticism after footage appeared to show them smiling and laughing during the ceremony as the names of those killed in the attacks were read aloud.<\/p>\n

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