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| Image: MPR News |
On Saturday, September 11, 2022, Americans marked the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America, which stands as one of the deadliest attacks on American soil. To mark the day, President Joe Biden visited the Pentagon, and New Yorkers honoured the nearly 3,000 people murdered when hijacked planes destroyed the Twin Towers.
Family and friends of victims, police officers, firefighters, and city leaders gathered at the National September 11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan, where the names of those who died were read aloud – as they have been done since the unfortunate incident.
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| Image: The Peninsula Quatar |
They rang bells and held moments of silence at 8:46 am, and 9:03 am (1246 and 1303 GMT), the precise times the passenger jets struck the World Trade Centre’s North and South Towers.
Meanwhile, at the Pentagon, Biden commemorated the anniversary. Recall that Al-Qaeda hijackers crashed a plane into the Pentagon massive building that serves as Defence Department headquarters.
In a steady rain, the president approached a wreath of flowers outside the building and placed his hand over his heart.
“Twenty-one years later, we keep alive the memory of all the precious lives stolen from us at Ground Zero, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon,” Biden said on Twitter ahead of delivering remarks.
“To the families and loved ones who still feel the ache, Jill and I hold you close in our hearts.”
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| Image: Mint |
On that fateful day, the Al-Qaeda terrorist group hijacked four planes and crashed two at the Twin Towers. Hit the Pentagon with the third plane, while the fourth, Flight 93, crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers launched a revolt onboard.
Vice President Kamala Harris, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and Mayor Eric Adams were among the dignitaries attending the New York ceremony, where relatives hugged one another, placed flowers at the memorial, and held placards or wore shirts with images of their lost loved ones.
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| Image: Gettyimages/TDPel Media |
“While the grief recedes a bit with time, the permanent absence of my father is just as palpable as it ever was,” the son of Jon Leslie Albert said after reading several victims’ names, including his father’s.
Messages of sympathy and support came from outside the country, including from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who called September 11 “one of the most tragic days” for the US and the world.
“Facing missile attacks daily, Ukraine knows well what terrorism is and sincerely sympathizes with the American people,” Zelensky tweeted, referring to the Russian invasion of his country that has left thousands dead.
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| Image: Greater Kashmir |
New York was illuminated late Saturday by a “Tribute in Light” that showed two blue beams projecting into the night sky, symbolizing the Twin Towers.
Source: AFP/punchng.com
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