US honors 9/11 victims on 25th anniversary of the attacks

Former President Joe Biden and high-ranking officials gathered across the United States on September 11, 2026, to hold solemn memorials for the nearly 3,000 victims killed during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Communities nationwide commemorated those who died in the historic assaults.

Ceremonies and moments of silence at Ground Zero

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum organized its annual ceremony at the 9/11 Memorial Plaza in New York, where families of the deceased gathered to recite the names of those lost in both the 2001 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Organizers scheduled the 25th anniversary observance to begin at 8:30 a.m. local time. Seven distinct moments of silence commemorated the impacts and structural collapses of the twin towers, the strike against the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, and the crash of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.

The pauses also honored individuals who died from illnesses and injuries related to the events of September 11 during subsequent years, according to museum administrators. A specialized drone display used 2,977 illuminated points above New York Harbor to recreate the silhouette of the former twin towers against the night sky.

Attending political figures and official document disclosures

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended the commemoration alongside former First Lady Jill Biden and former presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also confirmed her presence at the site, while JD Vance took part in the Manhattan proceedings. Meanwhile, Donald Trump planned his visit to the Pentagon in Virginia, marking the impact zone where hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 crashed. Mamdani recently released more than 170,000 municipal documents addressing public health, air quality, and deceptive official statements regarding toxic respiratory risks after the towers fell.

Firefighters conducted their own solemn ceremony in Manhattan’s Upper West Side to remember colleagues lost in the line of duty. Department members stood before their dedicated memorial to honor 343 fallen emergency personnel by name.

• The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Virginia restricted site access exclusively to survivors and relatives between 3 a.m. and 12 p.m.
• The Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania organized the sounding of the Bells of Remembrance alongside public tributes at the Wall of Names.
• Park staff and volunteers carried 40 lit lanterns to the base of the Wall of Names, placing each lantern beneath a passenger or crew member’s inscription.

National Park Service officials coordinated the Pennsylvania gathering around music, commemorative addresses, and floral wreath presentations. The morning schedule opened with the formal reading of every passenger and crew member aboard the hijacked United Airlines aircraft. Silence marked the somber anniversary.

United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into an open field in Pennsylvania after passengers resisted the hijackers.

Citizens in several regional municipalities established localized civic tributes and evening vigils across the United States. These local neighborhood events concluded the national slate of memorial activities.