The victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks, known as the biggest terrorist attack against the USA, were commemorated in the memorial park built on the site of the destroyed “Twin Towers” in New York. At the ceremony, which was broadcast live and attended by US Vice President Kamala Harris, relatives of the victims read the names of those who lost their lives in the attack, one by one.
At the ceremony, where the US national anthem was sung, a moment of silence was observed for those who lost their lives. Those who attended the ceremony left flowers at the memorial pools with the names of those who lost their lives. It was noteworthy that US President Joe Biden did not attend the ceremony, which was held under strict security measures.
In addition to Harris, New York Mayor Eric Adams, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, House Judiciary Committee Member Representative Jerry Nadler and New York Attorney General Letitia James attended the ceremony. The victims were also commemorated with various events held in different parts of the city.
What Happened On September 11, 2001?
New York, the heart of the American financial system, woke up on the morning of September 11 to the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers. Following the hijacking of 4 passenger planes taking off from Newark, Boston and Washington and going to San Francisco and Los Angeles, the American Airlines passenger plane heading to Los Angeles crashed into the northern building of the Twin Towers at 08.46 local time.
While the north tower was burning in flames, another hijacked plane belonging to United Airlines crashed into the south tower on live broadcast at 09.03, 17 minutes after the first attack. Following the attacks, which were watched live by both the USA and the whole world, the Twin Towers collapsed in front of millions of people within minutes and Manhattan Island was covered in clouds of dust.
After the attacks on the Twin Towers, another hijacked plane crashed into the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) building. The last hijacked plane, Flight 93, was shot down by F-16s in rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania. As a result of the September 11 attacks, a total of 2,977 people lost their lives in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, excluding the 19 attackers who hijacked the planes.