Visitors pause at the reflecting pool to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center at the National September 11 Memorial Museum.
Gina Moon | Getty Images
On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda members hijacked four airliners. They flew two planes into the twin skyscrapers of the World Trade Center in Manhattan around 9 a.m., bringing both towers down within hours. A third plane crashed at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a fourth, possibly headed for the U.S. Capitol, crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after an apparent struggle between passengers and the hijackers.
The attack was the deadliest terrorist attack ever on U.S. soil, killing nearly 3,000 people aboard hijacked planes, towers and the Pentagon. Following this attack, the United States invaded Afghanistan and Iraq amidst a declared “war on terror.”
On the 25th anniversary of the attack, Americans are remembering the victims with moments of silence and ceremonies at Ground Zero, the Pentagon, and Shanksville. All living former presidents, Vice President J.D. Vance and New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani were in attendance at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, and President Trump spoke at a ceremony at the Pentagon. Below is a collection of photos showing how first responders and citizens are marking this occasion.
A man touches the wall of the Empty Sky 9/11 Memorial in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the sun rises behind Lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center on September 11, 2026, marking the 25th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.
Gary Hershawn | Corbis News | Getty Images
Military personnel and first responders watch as the American flag is raised on the side of the Pentagon to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks at the Pentagon on September 11, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
A person pauses at a memorial before a ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
Spencer Pratt | AFP | Getty Images
Someone has a photo of a firefighter who died in the 9/11 attacks.
Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images
Police officers gather near One World Trade Center during the 25th anniversary commemoration of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Ryan Murphy | AFP | Getty Images
Roseanne Spirito, 49, who lost her sister Katherine Lisa Rogaidis, and her daughters Sabrina, 22, and Amanda, 20, stand in a reflecting pool.
Adam Gray | Getty Images
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick stands at a memorial before the 25th anniversary of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks at the National September 11 Memorial Museum in New York City on September 11, 2026.
Adam Gray | Getty Images
U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump listen to the national anthem during the 25th anniversary commemoration of the September 11, 2001 attacks at the Pentagon on September 11, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
New York City Fire Department (FDNY) firefighters pay their respects next to the reflecting pool at the 9/11 Memorial.
Gina Moon | Reuters
Firefighters salute outside the FDNY Ten House during the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York.
Ryan Murphy AFP | Getty Images
(LR) Dr. Jill Biden, former President Joe Biden, Laura Bush, former President George W. Bush, Michael Bloomberg, Vice President J.D. Vance, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani attend the 25th anniversary of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks at the National September 11 Memorial Museum in New York City on September 11, 2026.
Pool | Getty Images News | Getty Images
9/11 survivor George Milonis (left) and first responders visit the memorial ahead of the 25th anniversary celebration at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Family members of Flight 93 victims walk to a memorial set up at the crash site during a memorial service in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2026.
Jeff Swensen | Getty Images
People stand inside Oculus as sunlight passing through a skylight forms two parallel columns of light representing the original Twin Towers as part of a “wedge of light” during the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks in New York City on September 11, 2026.
Andres Kudacchi | Getty Images
Participants place their hands on the memorial before the 25th anniversary celebration at the National September 11 Memorial Museum in New York.
David Dee Delgado | Bloomberg | Getty Images
