US marks 25th anniversary of 9/11 attacks

Two and a half decades have passed since the tragic September 11 attacks, when nearly 3,000 people lost their lives as hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center. President Donald Trump chose to attend a ceremony at the Pentagon instead of the Ground Zero event in New York, a decision that drew criticism from victims' relatives. New York City's first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani, attended the ceremony at Ground Zero, despite calls to stay away.

The United States marked the anniversary with a solemn ceremony, retracing the events of 9/11 minute by minute. Victims' names were read aloud, and a bell tolled to mark significant milestones. The city mayor, Mamdani, faced pressure from the right-wing New York Post and former mayor Rudy Giuliani to not attend, but she persisted, unveiling documents revealing toxic air levels in Lower Manhattan post-attack.

The CIA published declassified intelligence briefs related to 9/11, and Al-Qaeda released a video featuring Bin Laden and his son Hamza, whom Trump claimed had also been killed. The anniversary prompted debates about the war on terror, the relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, and the lingering impact of the attacks on New Yorkers.