Main points
- Memorial services took place to remember the victims of the 9/11 attacks, which claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people 25 years ago
- US president Donald Trump made an address at the Pentagon’s anniversary ceremony near Washington DC
- Vice-president JD Vance attended the observance at the National September 11 Memorial in New York
Key reads
- Denis Staunton on how the US response to 9/11 attacks reshaped the world
- Keith Duggan on the firefighters of 9/11: ‘They were eating breakfast when the call came. They all left’
- Podcast: Could the disastrous legacy of 9/11 have been avoided?
Thank you for following us today as the world remembers 9/11 25 years on.
Irish who died in 9/11 remembered
Many tributes are taking place to mark the 25th anniversary of the deaths of those who were Irish or of Irish extraction in the 9/11 terror attacks.
At least 18 were Irish citizens while many of the first responders who perished in the attacks were of Irish extraction.
An event took place in Ballymote, Co Sligo on Friday. Among those who remembered was Anne McHugh from Tuam, Co Galway who died in the Twin Towers attack.
On Saturday Fr Mychal Judge, the first designated victim of the Twin Towers attack, will be remembered in his father’s home village of Keshcarrigan, Co Leitrim.
You can read more about it here.
Former vice-president Mike Pence, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, and former UK prime minister Tony Blair have all remembered 9/11
“On this solemn anniversary of September 11th, let us remember the 2,977 innocent souls who perished at the hands of our terrorist enemies,” Pence said.
“And let us also honor those who gave their lives in the long struggle that followed.”
Bloomberg, who is also the chairman of the National September 11 Museum and Memorial, said the sky was crystal clear and bright blue on 9/11.
“I had just cast my ballot when I heard that a plane had hit the World Trade Center,” he said. “In the face of unimaginable tragedy and loss, New Yorkers and people across the country responded with bravery, resilience and hope.”
Blair, who was the UK prime minister at the time, said in a video statement that “that day changed the world”.
“The struggle against terrorism in all its form continues,” he added.
Families remember 25 years on
Families returned to the World Trade Center on Friday to mark 25 years since the 9/11 terror attacks.
Mourners and survivors gathered around the twin waterfall pools that mark the footprints of the two towers in Lower Manhattan for the somber ceremony.
Joining for the day of remembrance were vice president JD Vance, New York mayor Zohran Mamdani and former mayors Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg.
All of the living former US presidents were also in attendance: Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
The 17-minute period between when the north and south towers were hit by hijacked planes defined an era and a nation, and 25 years later, an estimated 100 million Americans — nearly 30 per cent of the population — are too young to remember that day.
During the reading of names, young family members mentioned aunts and uncles they never got to meet, and parents referenced grandchildren who never got to know their grandparents.
The square manmade waterfalls at the memorial plunge 30 feet, a design which their architect has described as “absence made visible.”
There were moments when there was a notable shift in tone during what is typically a hallowed ritual, as some accused successive US administrations of not holding Saudi Arabia to account for its role in the attacks.
“Today we renew the sacred oath, we will never ever forget,” he said. “That’s why we fight today.”
For the first time, this year’s Lower Manhattan ceremony includes an acknowledgement of how the toll of the attacks is still growing.
After the reading of the names, a seventh moment of silence will be observed, honouring those who died years later from illnesses and injuries linked to the aftermath of the attacks.
It is a recognition that even as the morning the twin towers collapsed passes from living memory for more Americans, its consequences are still unfolding - Bloomberg
9/11 remembrance includes those who died from illnesses afterwards
The annual 9/11 remembrance ceremony in New York included an additional moment of silence for those who died from illnesses contracted after the terrorist attack.
The ceremony at Ground Zero previously had six moments of silence, now a seventh has been added.
New York mayor Zohran Mamdani claimed this week that more people died as a result of illnesses related to the attacks than the 2,977 killed on 9/11.
These included those injured or traumatised in the attacks but also those who died from the toxins released by the thousands of tonnes of debris.
The dust plume included concrete, deadly asbestos and glass which fell all over Lower Manhattan. Many first responders developed respiratory illnesses, cancers and mental illnesses at a rate which far exceeded normal expectations.
Mamdani released documents related to air quality that showed the air around the fallen Twin Towers remained toxic for much longer than officials claimed at the time.
Joe Biden and Hilary Clinton reflect on the 25th anniversary
Former US president Joe Biden shared some words on social media honouring the victims and first responders killed on 11 September.
Biden attended mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral on Thursday to mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
Despite having stage four prostate cancer, Biden stayed for an hour after the service speaking to the families of those who were bereaved.
On X on Friday morning, he posted: “This morning, Jill and I hold close the families who carry that loss every day. We honor the heroes of September 11th: the firefighters and police officers who rushed into the towers and the Pentagon, the passengers who fought back over Shanksville, and the generation that stepped up to serve in the aftermath.”
Hillary Clinton, the former US secretary of state, said “the consequences have continued for 25 years”, and it’s our job to inform younger generations who are too young to remember the attacks.
“Something worth remembering 25 years after 9/11: in the aftermath of catastrophe, people look around, they see what is needed, and they help.”
The Irish Times visual editor Dan Dennison picks out some of the images from photographer Larry Towell of the events of 9/11. Twenty-five years on, they still have the power to shock.
In New York, a sixth bell has rung out, followed by another moment of silence, marking the exact moment the World Trade Center’s North Tower fell.
‘We will never, ever forget,’ says Trump at Pentagon commemorative ceremony
Addressing the crowd at the Pentagon’s commemorative ceremony, US president Donald Trump said, “in 25 years, a generation has passed since the terror attacks.”
“Yet time has not dimmed the honour of that day our country came face-to-face with true evil.”
“Today we renew the sacred oath that we first swore in their names a quarter of a century ago,” he said.
“We will never, ever forget. That’s why we fight today.”
“On days like 9/11, we learn what a country is truly made of”.
“We’re learning right now what we’re made of and we have to be strong and we have to be smart,” he added.
The president said the US will never be the same after the events of September 11th, 2001.
“We were all New Yorkers that day,” he said, of September 11th. “But we’re also all Americans.”
“We salute the service members working right now to ensure the world’s number one sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, will never, ever have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
Trump next to speak at the Pentagon ceremony
US president Donald Trump is speaking at the Pentagon 9/11 commemorative ceremony.
Speaking at the Pentagon, Dan Caine, the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, said “today is not just a story of loss; it is also a story of great American courage, selfless service, and those who’ve made the choice to carry those memories forward.”
“The courage of those extraordinary Americans in Pennsylvania, in New York, and right here on these hallowed grounds did not end when the smoke cleared and the fires went out, because survivors and families have carried it forward through service, through sacrifice, and through remembrance.”
Pete Hegseth, the current defense secretary and Condoleezza Rice, the former secretary of state, also spoke at the ceremony.
A fourth bell and fourth moment of silence is observed at New York City’s memorial to those who died 25 years ago, to mark the exact moment the South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed.
Former members of Congress hold a memorial service on Capitol Hill in Washington DC
Photographs from the 9/11 commemoration ceremony in New York
Third bell rings followed by moment of silence
A third bell has just rung out at the National 9/11 Memorial in New York, followed by another moment of silence.
It marks the exact minute Flight 77 struck the Pentagon in Virginia on 11 September 2001.
Crowds of people attending the 9/11 commemorative ceremony in New York City as the names of those who died are read aloud
Trump arrives at Pentagon ceremony
US president Donald Trump has arrived at the Pentagon ceremony to commemorate the victims of the September 11th attack.
The president is set to speak and take part in a wreath-laying ceremony.
At the Pentagon, the names of the 184 victims of the September 11 attacks on the Department of Defense are being read aloud.
Pete Hegseth, the current defense secretary and Condoleezza Rice the former secretary of state are also present at the Pentagon ceremony. - Guardian
Music will be performed by Jennifer Nettles, Yo-Yo Ma and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus at the commemorative ceremony in New York.
Additional musical accompaniment will be provided by Ben Pila, Emi Ferguson, Coleman Itzkoff, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Musica Reginae and The Harlem Chamber Players, along with music director and pianist Adam Rothenberg and vocalists Emily Fink and Naomi Serrano.
Names of 9/11 victims read aloud at New York commemorative ceremony
At the commemorative ceremony, taking place at the National September 11 Memorial in New York, the names of the 2,977 victims who died in the 9/11 attacks and the six who were killed in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing are read aloud by family members.
A moment of silence was held before relatives read out the names of those killed that day.
Some of the former US presidents attend the 9/11 ceremony in New York
Former presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, George W. Bush and vice president JD Vance attend the 9/11 commemorative event in New York City.
Former first ladies Michelle Obama, Jill Biden and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton are also present.
Political figures to attend New York City ceremony
In New York City, the national September 11 memorial and museum will hold its annual commemoration ceremony, with the families of victims gathering at the 9/11 Memorial Plaza and reading aloud the names of those killed in the 9/11 attacks and in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Current and former New York City leaders and other political figures are also expected to attend the ceremony, including the city’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
The New York Times reported this month that former president Joe Biden and former first lady Jill Biden, as well as former presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush and Bill Clinton, and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, are also expected to attend. - Guardian
‘We will not forget them,’ says Taoiseach
In a post on X, Taoiseach Micheál Martin wrote, “today we honour and remember all those who lost their lives during the September 11th attacks, a day of unspeakable horror that shook the world.”
He said of the victims, at least 18 were Irish citizens and an estimated 1,000 were of Irish heritage.
“It was an attack on all humanity, on democracy and the values we all share.
He said it was strongly felt in Ireland due to the “close bonds between our two nations and people.”
“We remain united with all the survivors of 9/11, both today and in the years to come. We will not forget them.”
The firefighters of 9/11: They were eating breakfast when the call came. ‘They all left’
On this day 25 years ago, the Ladder 3 crew sat at the maple table, having breakfast, writes Washington correspondent Keith Duggan.
They had less than two hours to live. Eight in the morning is a hectic time, with the night tour crew clocking off and the morning tour unit already arrived.
Officially, the tour, or shift, hours are 9am-6pm and 6pm-9am, but Ladder 3 had an inherited tradition where the morning crew would arrive a few hours before the shift officially started.
Read the full article here.
New York City mayor remembers 9/11 attacks, 25 years on
Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York City said, “25 years ago, terrorists killed nearly 3,000 people, including 2,753 New Yorkers,” in a post on X.
“As we remember that terrible day, let us also remember the first responders, office workers and strangers who ran toward danger to help each other.
“Let us remember the extraordinary compassion, resilience and bravery that carried our city through its darkest day.
“Today, New York remembers. We will Never Forget.”
Seventh moment of silence added to New York commemoration
A new moment of silence, honoring all who have died from the health effects of 9/11 and its aftermath, will be added to the annual commemoration ceremony in New York.
For the past 24 years, the 9/11 commemoration has included six moments of silence to mark the times when each of the World Trade Center towers was struck, when each tower fell, and the times corresponding to the attack at the Pentagon and the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.
Since 9/11, thousands of first responders, rescue, recovery and relief workers and lower Manhattan community members have died from 9/11-related illnesses.
The seventh moment of silence will become a permanent part of the annual ceremony.
‘We will never forget,’ says The White House
In a post on X, The White House wrote, “a quarter of a century has passed since September 11th, 2001, when the peace of our Nation was shattered by terrorists.
“Today, we remember the 2,977 precious lives taken from us, honor the heroes who answered the call, and keep their families in the heart of our Nation.
It added, “above all, we must ensure the memory of 9/11 never fades, but is carried from one generation of Americans to the next. We will never forget.”
Fr Mychal Judge to be remembered in father’s home village in Leitrim
There are few more enduring images of the terrible events of 9/11 than those of New York firefighters pulling the body of Fr Mychal Judge from the remains of the Twin Towers, writes Ronan McGreevy.
Where others fled the collapsing towers, Judge remained at post to give the last rites to the firemen on site. He was in the lobby of the North Tower praying for victims when the South Tower collapsed, burying him under the rubble and killing him.
The photograph of Judge was taken by Reuters photographer Shannon Stapleton, who was in the area on another job when the attacks happened. It was one of the first photographs taken after the towers collapsed.
Judge, a Franciscan priest, became known as Victim 0001, of 9/11, of the 2,603 people who died when two hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers on the morning of September 11th, 2001.
Read the full article here.
Ceremonies across the US
A number of planned remembrances are planned across the US from beams of light projecting from New Hampshire’s Mount Washington to a stair climb at Mississippi State University’s football stadium to a ceremony at Honolulu’s 9/11 memorial.
At last year’s commemoration at the Pentagon , Trump delivered remarks recounting moments from the day of the attacks, including snippets of conversations from passengers who were aboard the hijacked airplanes. - Guardian
Trump to attend Pentagon’s anniversary ceremony
US president Donald Trump plans to attend the Pentagon’s anniversary ceremony later today.
This is the second year in a row for Trump to mark the day at the Pentagon.
At a Tuesday event at the Ellipse just outside the White House, Trump vowed to “never forget” victims, noting that the attacks were one of few moments in history that “divide time into really what came before” and after.
Vice-president JD Vance is expected to attend the observance at the National September 11 Memorial in New York, while other administration officials are headed to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania. - Guardian
How US response to 9/11 attacks reshaped the world
When American civil and political leaders gather at the 9/11 memorial in New York on Friday, their focus will properly be on the almost 3,000 people who were murdered in the attacks 25 years ago, writes China correspondent Denis Staunton.
But after the commemoration is over, they might also reflect on the millions of others around the world whose lives were destroyed by the United States’ response to the events of September 11th, 2001.
More than 940,000 were killed directly by post-9/11 war violence in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Pakistan, almost half of them civilians, according to the Costs of War project by the Watson School of International and Public Affairs at Brown University.
For the full article, click here.
Memorial event held in London
A memorial event took place in London at 11am at the 9/11 memorial sculpture in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester are expected to take the Royal Salute on the Buckingham Palace forecourt on behalf of the King, accompanied by US Ambassador Warren Stephens.
The US ambassador Warren Stephens laid a wreath in Grosvenor Square at the 9/11 Memorial Garden, alongside his wife Harriet.
25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the US
Today marks the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the United States.
Memorial events will be held to honour the victims such as a special ceremony at the World Trade Center.
On September 11th, 2001, 2,977 people were killed when hijackers crashed three planes into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Virginia. A fourth crashed into a field in western Pennsylvania.
