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New York has marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks with a memorial ceremony at Ground Zero, as political controversy surrounded the absence of President Donald Trump and the attendance of the city’s first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
Trump paid tribute at the Pentagon instead of joining the ceremony in lower Manhattan, where two hijacked planes crashed into the World Trade Centre, killing thousands and destroying the iconic Twin Towers.
Vice President JD Vance joined Trump’s four living predecessors, George W. Bush, who was president during the attacks, as well as Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden at the Ground Zero memorial site.
The ceremony began shortly after 8:40 a.m. local time and maintained its traditional apolitical format, with no political speeches. Families of victims read the names of the 2,977 people killed during the attacks, while bells marked key moments from the tragedy.
Visitors at the memorial reflected on the importance of preserving the memory of the attacks. Robert Kafka, a Chicago resident visiting the site, said, “Memorials like this and discussions about those events are an important part of keeping it alive and understanding how we prevent tragedies like this from ever happening again.”
Mamdani’s presence at the ceremony drew criticism from some right-wing groups and figures, including former New York mayor and Trump ally Rudy Giuliani. A campaign urged him to stay away, with a petition gathering more than 100,000 signatures accusing him of associating with people who are “dismissive of American institutions or insufficiently critical of extremist ideologies.”
City Council member Shahana Hanif criticised the backlash, telling CNN, “It’s concerning to me that the mayor is being treated differently simply because he is Muslim.”
Mamdani has also received praise for releasing thousands of documents detailing what city officials knew about air toxicity levels after the attacks. The collapse of the World Trade Centre created a massive dust cloud, followed by months of pollution that contributed to illnesses affecting thousands of survivors, first responders and residents.
The September 11 attacks were carried out by 19 Al-Qaeda operatives who hijacked four commercial aircraft. Two planes struck the World Trade Centre, another hit the Pentagon, while a fourth crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to regain control of the aircraft.
Beyond those killed on the day, more than 9,400 people have died from illnesses linked to the attacks, according to a federal health programme established to support affected individuals.
For some families, the anniversary remains deeply personal. Logan Miller, who lost his uncle during the attacks and later lost his grandfather to a related illness, said younger generations often struggle to understand the impact of that day.
“I think the next generation just can’t fathom what actually transpired and how someone could be impacted by that,” he told AFP.
Security measures were tightened around the memorial site, with the Secret Service establishing a protective perimeter and New York police deploying an anti-drone team as a precaution. Authorities said there was no specific threat.
Ahead of the ceremony, a drone display over New York Harbour featured 2,977 lights, each representing a person killed in the attacks.
Meanwhile, Al-Qaeda marked the anniversary by releasing a video featuring images of its late leader Osama bin Laden and his son Hamza, who the US said was killed in 2019.
