The United States is marking 25 years since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, with commemorations across the country honouring the 2,977 people killed that day while also remembering thousands of others who later died from illnesses linked to exposure to toxic dust and debris.
On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda hijackers seized control of four commercial aircraft as part of a coordinated attack against the United States. Two planes were deliberately crashed into the World Trade Center towers in downtown New York City, while a third struck the Pentagon in Washington.
The fourth aircraft, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed into a wooded area near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers fought back against the hijackers and attempted to regain control of the plane. The aircraft is believed to have been heading towards the US Capitol or White House.
The attacks killed 2,977 people, with the largest number of victims dying in the collapse of the Twin Towers. The site of the World Trade Center is now known as Ground Zero and has become a central place of remembrance.
However, the human toll of September 11 has continued to grow long after the attacks themselves. Thousands of people who survived the attacks or participated in rescue, recovery and clean-up operations subsequently developed serious illnesses associated with exposure to contaminated air and toxic debris.
More than 9,400 people have died from illnesses linked to exposure around Ground Zero, the Pentagon and other related sites, according to a federal medical monitoring programme.The continuing deaths have prompted organisers of the official ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York to introduce a new element to this year’s commemoration.
For the first time, the ceremony will include a seventh moment of silence dedicated to those who died in the years following the attacks from illnesses linked to their exposure. Previous ceremonies have traditionally included six moments of silence corresponding with the times the four hijacked planes struck their targets and the moments when the two World Trade Center towers collapsed.
The new moment of silence will take place after the reading of the victims’ names. It is intended to recognise the firefighters, police officers, construction workers, volunteers, local residents, office workers and students whose lives were affected by exposure to the toxic environment created by the attacks.
Beyond the official ceremony, commemorative events are taking place in New York and other locations as Americans and visitors reflect on the events that reshaped the country and influenced international affairs for decades.
President Donald Trump is breaking with recent tradition by paying his respects at the Pentagon in Washington rather than Ground Zero. Vice-President JD Vance is expected to attend the New York ceremony. Trump’s four living predecessors; Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, who was President when the attacks occurred, are expected to gather at Ground Zero.
World leaders have also marked the anniversary. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered the victims and expressed solidarity with the families whose lives were permanently changed by the attacks. He also highlighted India’s own experience with terrorism and reaffirmed his country’s opposition to terrorism “in all its forms and manifestations.”
European Union foreign policy Chief Kaja Kallas described September 11 as an event that “changed the course of history,” remembering the 2,977 people killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania. Kallas also recalled the response from Europe and the United States following the attacks, noting that NATO invoked Article 5 for the first and only time and that European forces subsequently served alongside American troops in Afghanistan.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen similarly paid tribute to the victims, reflecting on the thousands of people who left home that morning and never returned. “Today, we remember,” she said, adding that the columns of light that rise above the former World Trade Center site serve as a reminder that “light triumphs even on the darkest of days.”
US Mint Issues Half Dollar To Honour 9/11 Victims
The United States Mint marked the 25th anniversary with a special-issue 2026 Semiquincentennial Enduring Liberty Half Dollar dedicated to the memory of those lost on September 11.
Announced on September 10, the commemorative half dollar features a unique privy mark showing the date of the attacks encircled by the words “NEVER FORGET.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the coin honours both those who lost their lives and those who risked their lives to rescue fellow Americans. “As we approach the 25th anniversary of September 11, we honor the memory of those we lost and the courage of those who risked their lives to save their fellow Americans,” Bessent said.
He added that the passage of 25 years had not diminished the country’s commitment to remembering the victims and supporting their families. “A quarter century later, our promise to the victims and their families remains the same: we will never forget,” Bessent said.
The coin is being offered for pre-sale through the U.S. Mint, adding a lasting commemorative symbol to the anniversary observances.
Twenty-five years after the attacks, the ceremonies in New York and elsewhere reflect both remembrance and the enduring consequences of September 11. While the names of the 2,977 victims remain central to the annual commemoration, the addition of a seventh moment of silence acknowledges a second generation of victims — those whose lives were shortened by illnesses connected to the aftermath of the attacks.
