New York marks 25 years since 9/11 with memorial ceremony and political tensions

New York is commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks with a Ground Zero ceremony focused on remembrance rather than speeches. Relatives of victims will read the names of all those killed, while bells will mark key moments during the attacks.

President Donald Trump is attending a separate ceremony at the Pentagon. Vice-President JD Vance, former presidents George W. Bush, Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani are expected at Ground Zero.

Mamdani’s expected attendance, as New York’s first Muslim mayor, has prompted opposition from the right. France 24 reports that a petition urging him to stay away has gathered more than 100,000 signatures, while the source does not independently substantiate allegations about his associations.

The mayor has also released thousands of documents concerning what city officials knew about air toxicity in Lower Manhattan after the attacks. Claims about official knowledge and the health consequences remain attributed to the reporting and relevant programmes. More than 9,400 people have reportedly died from illnesses linked to the attacks, according to the federal medical programme established to provide care.

Security measures include a perimeter around the 9/11 Memorial and Museum and an anti-drone team. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said there was no intelligence of a specific threat to the gathering. A drone display featuring 2,977 lights was held above New York Harbor, one for each person killed.

The attacks were carried out by 19 Al-Qaeda operatives who hijacked four planes, striking the World Trade Center and Pentagon before a fourth aircraft crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The attacks killed 2,977 people, with most deaths occurring at the World Trade Center. Al-Qaeda has also reportedly released an anniversary video featuring Osama bin Laden and his son Hamza.