9/11 anniversary live updates: Memorial ceremonies take place in New York, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon
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Follow live coverage of 9/11 memorial ceremonies 25 years later as Americans reflect on the attacks.
America marks 25 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. What to know:
- Ceremonies were held in Manhattan, Shanksville, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon to commemorate the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
- In New York, all living former presidents attended the ceremony at ground zero, where 9/11 victims' names were read. This year’s ceremony included a moment of silence for those who have died of illnesses in the aftermath of the attacks.
- During a ceremony at the Pentagon, President Donald Trump heralded the human sacrifices that shape Sept. 11 and mentioned the war with Iran.
- The CIA released 71 declassified documents related to the 9/11 attacks today, showing the agency repeatedly warned Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush that Osama bin Laden was determined to strike the United States, as far back as three years before the 9/11 attacks.
The resilience and patriotism amid a backdrop of destruction told the story of the shocking day in a single image. NBC News’ Stephanie Gosk reports.
9/11 survivor Luann O’Rourke-Boyd talks to NBC News’ Tom Llamas about her escape from the Twin Towers after a stranger picked her up from the 30th floor.
NBC News’ Gadi Schwartz talks to 9/11 survivor Dan White as he remembers his experience escaping the Twin Towers on the day of the attacks.
NBC News’ Tom Llamas spoke to retired FDNY firefighter Robert Albino and retired NYPD Captain John Monaghan about their experiences on the day of the attacks. Albino also shares some never-before-seen photos he took in New York from Ground Zero.
Most of today’s students were not alive for the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Teachers across the country are now bringing the history and lessons from that day to the next generation. NBC News’ Valerie Castro reports.
Stanley Praimnath and Brian Clark were at work when United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower. They did something no one in the North Tower could do: get out alive, despite working on floors at or higher than where the plane struck their building. NBC Nightly News’ anchor Tom Llamas reports.
9/11 memorials across the nation
Crowds across the country, from New York City to Los Angeles, gathered today to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
The Flags of Valor memorial for fallen American military who died in the War on Terror, and first responders on 9/11, in St. Louis, Missouri. Laurie Skrivan / St. Louis Post-Dispatch via Getty Images
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani arrives ahead of a ceremony at the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum today. Spencer Platt / Getty Images
A Los Angeles Fire Department remembrance ceremony at the Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center today. Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag
Visitors gather for memorial services of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Jeff Swensen / Getty Images
Rows of 2,977 American flags are arranged in the shape of the Twin Towers ahead of commemorations in Charlotte, N.C. Peter Zay / Anadolu via Getty Images
Burgum honors the bravery of the Flight 93 passengers in Shanksville
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum memorialized the passengers on Flight 93 this afternoon, honoring their bravery to stop the hijackers from hitting their planned target in Washington, D.C.
"If the action and the courage of the 40 members on Flight 93 had not happened, if they had not taken the courage to do what they did, our world would be very different than it is today," Burgum said during remarks in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the plane crashed 25 years ago.
Burgum recalled how former President Joe Biden was interviewed on 9/11 on the steps of the Capitol, when he was still serving as a senator, and noted that the plane could have changed history if it had reached its target, which is believed to have been either the White House or the Capitol.
"We would have images seared in our minds, not about just the towers," Burgum said. "We would have the images of what it meant for the heart of our nation’s democracy — the thing that was built over 250 years, or at that time 225 — to be taken down by people that were doing the unthinkable, that they not only cared about the loss of life, they didn’t care about their own lives."
Blanche reflects on the pride in law enforcement officers felt around NYC after 9/11
Attorney General Todd Blanche today honored the law enforcement officers who died in connection to their service on 9/11 and reflected on his time living in New York during the attacks.
Annabelle Gordon / Bloomberg via Getty Images
"The first thing that comes to mind is the appreciation for the men and women who wear the blue and are first responders," Blanche said at a 9/11 event held by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund in Washington, D.C., today.
"I lived in New York, in lower Manhattan and on Long Island during 9/11," the attorney general said. "In the months after 9/11, in Chinatown, on every street corner in New York, Dick’s Sporting Goods, you couldn’t keep FDNY or NYPD hats in stock. Every single person was wearing an NYPD or a fire department hat, or a T-shirt, or a collared shirt everywhere you went."
Blanche recalled seeing the Yankees, Mets and Rangers teams wear the gear, as well as politicians. The attorney general reflected on the unity he felt by seeing so many New Yorkers wearing those logos.
"Don’t forget, given what we’ve gone through the past few years, how incredible that time was in the support of the men and women who keep us safe and our first responders," Blanche said. "It wasn’t a Republican issue, Democrat issue.”
Welles Crowther could have escaped the World Trade Center collapse. Instead, he repeatedly ran back trying to save as many people as possible while wearing his red bandana. Now, he has been posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. NBC News' Aaron Gilchrist reports.
Previously classified 9/11 documents released by CIA on 25th anniversary of attacks
The CIA released 71 declassified documents related to the 9/11 attacks today, the 25th anniversary of deadly Al Qaeda terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
The documents, which were posted on the CIA’s website, cover the period from February 1998 to Sept. 12, 2001.
Universal Images Group via Getty Images file
U.S. soldier plays taps for 9/11 victims from a historic Polish tower
Mateusz Kotowicz / NurPhoto via Getty Images
At the exact moment the first plane hit struck the World Trade Center 25 years ago, today Army Staff Sergeant Victor DeJesus pulled out his trumpet and played taps for the victims of 9/11.
But he did so at 2:46 p.m. Polish time, from the tower of St. Mary’s Basilica in the ancient city of Kraków, Polish Radio reported.
DeJesus, a trumpeter from the 1st Infantry Division U.S. Army band, was dressed in uniform when he played the mournful melody that is performed, mostly, to honor fallen service members.
Mateusz Kotowicz / NurPhoto via Getty Images
It also prompted many Poles on the ground to stop and check their watches. Because every hour, on the hour, each day from this same tower, a bugler plays what is known as the hejnał four times.
That broken melody is played in memory of a 13th century trumpeter who sounded the alarm when he spotted Mongol invaders approaching the city but was killed in mid-song when an arrow pierced his throat.
Pennsylvania governor says 9/11 remembrances must be 'active' to aid understanding
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro urged Americans to be "active" in the effort to educate people who were either too young to remember the terrorist attacks of 9/11 or were not born yet.
"Our remembrance must be active. There are about 100 million Americans today who either weren’t born on 9/11, or who are too young to remember that day," Shapiro said at remarks at the ceremony honoring the victims of United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. "We owe it to those young Americans and to generations of Americans to come to preserve the memory of that day, the 2,977 people who were killed.”
Jeff Swensen / Getty Images
He also paid tribute to the flight's brave passengers and crew whose actions on board prevented the hijackers from reaching its intended target, thought to be the U.S. Capitol.
"With faith in one another, faith in their God, and a deep abiding faith to this country, they organized, they mobilized, and they summoned the courage to stare evil in the face and fight back. Their actions saved countless lives," he said.
Shapiro, a Democrat and potential 2028 presidential contender, noted that their actions that day might have saved his life as he had been working at the Capitol complex. "I was watching the events unfold from my office on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. In the years since, I’ve reflected on how their bravery may have even saved my life.”
New moment of silence held for those lost to 9/11 health effects
A moment of silence was held near ground zero in honor of those who have been affected by the health-related effects of the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York.
9/11 victim's son says tragedy should not be used to 'spread hate'
In seemingly unscripted remarks at the ground zero memorial, the son of a Staten Island man killed on 9/11 urged people nationwide to “please stop” using victims’ memories to “spread hate.”
“I think the one parting thing I want to leave everyone with is that you do my dad’s legacy and the legacy of all these victims no honor by using this tragedy to spread hate,” said Michael Massaroli Jr., the son of Michael Massaroli, who was an employee at Cantor Fitzgerald.
“We have seen a medley of people come up today, of all races, all religions, all creeds, and this tragedy is just that — it’s a tragedy,” Massaroli. “I’ve had to grow up and spend the past 25 years seeing people use it to hate on our Muslim brothers and sisters, to hate on people who don’t look like them, and that’s wrong, and that does no honor to the victims here.”
“I want to use the little platform I have to ask for that to please stop,” he added.
The crowd applauded his remarks.
Diane Massaroli, widow of Cantor Fitzgerald employee Michael Massaroli, at ground zero on Sept. 11, 2009. Chris Hondros / Pool via AP file
Shanksville firefighters who responded to tragedy offer warm meal to grieving families
While hundreds of firefighters from across the country descend on the Flight 93 National Memorial, several of those who responded to the tragedy are marking the day in their own way: Opening the doors of the Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department to offer a warm meal and a place of respite for those grieving.
Emilie Ikeda / NBC News
“These are faces that go with what we saw on the ground that day, and they need comfort,” Assistant Chief Brad Shober said, adding that they’ve developed a bond with the victims’ families over the years.
At the firehouse sits the first engine that was on scene 25 years ago.
“They weren’t sure what they were headed to, but this was the vehicle to get them there," he said.
Shober met his colleagues at the scene after driving from his job as a teacher. This year, the truck will be retired.
“We’re not near New York, we’re not near D.C., but our three locations are all now connected,” he said. “You realize you are part of a much bigger picture than just small-town Shanksville.”
Doctors at the World Trade Center Health Program say they are now seeing a surge in 9/11-related cancer cases. NBC News' Erika Edwards speaks to Lisa Parker and Frank Kotnik about their health journeys since that tragic day.
Moment of silence held in PA
A moment of silence was observed in Shanksville this morning at 10:03 a.m. — the time United Flight 93 crashed into a field in the area 25 years ago, killing all 44 passengers on board.
The hijacked plane was headed to Washington with plans to hit another federal government building, but passengers fought back and were able to thwart the attack.
Former White House chief of staff calls on Americans to remember events of 9/11
Andy Card, the former White House chief of staff who was pictured whispering in former President George W. Bush’s ear that the nation was under attack on Sept. 11, 2001, called on Americans to remember their promise to never forget the events of that day on its 25th anniversary.
Card, 79, had to deliver the news that multiple planes had hit the World Trade Center while the president sat in front of a classroom of elementary school students in Sarasota, Fla.
Paul J. Richards / AFP via Getty Images file
“I’m conscious that we have to keep the promise that we made when we said we would never forget,” Card said in the "TODAY" show. “And too many people have moved on and don’t remember to remember.
“But we all promised, so this is a great wakeup call and a conscience-raising response that’s so critical,” he added. “And America is a great country, and the tragedy of 9/11 also was a magnet for all of us to come together as Americans, and we did, and it was so refreshing to see that.”
Manhattan florist donates roses to celebrate victims' birthdays
A Manhattan floral business owner donates thousands of white roses every year to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum to celebrate victims on their birthdays.
A volunteer places a single rose beside the name of the victim on their birthday, and a photo is sent to the person’s family.
“It’s great to see families come to the memorial looking at the birthday rose,” Michael Collarone said on Today. “It’s a birthday rose, it’s not a memorial rose."
FBI agent died of cancer after 9/11 Pentagon response
When American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon’s western facade at 9:37 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, FBI agent Jack Hess rushed to the scene.
His pregnant wife, Sandy Hess, also an FBI agent at the time, ran to pick up their 1-year-old son from daycare.
In the aftermath, Jack’s role was to secure evidence for the FBI’s investigation into the attacks. He was one of about 4,000 FBI employees who responded to the crash sites in Virginia, New York and Pennsylvania.
While he only spent a matter of hours in direct contact with the hazardous debris in Arlington, he would later be diagnosed with Stage 4 kidney cancer, an illness classified as “caused” by his exposure at the Pentagon, according to the certification process determined by the World Trade Center Health Program. He died of the disease in 2023, at just 64 years old.
Cedric H. Rudisill / DoD via AFP via Getty Images file
Firefighters in Italy stage memorial stair climb
Emanuele Roberto De Carli / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Firefighters climbed the Galfa Tower in Milan today to commemorate the anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center in New York.
Emanuele Roberto De Carli / NurPhoto via Getty Images
9/11 remembered through powerful photographs
In the 25 years since Sept. 11, 2001, and through the wars that raged in its wake, countless photographs were taken documenting the era. Capturing the first major event of the internet age, these visuals were splashed across television and computer screens at work, home and even in schools. They’re visceral records of the violence and all that followed.
One of the most meaningful photos Stan Honda of Agence France-Presse said he took that morning was of a worker named Marcy Borders, who had just arrived in the lobby of a nearby office building a few minutes after the first building collapsed. He took a single photo of her looking into the camera and gesturing with her hands.
Stan Honda / Getty Images
“She symbolizes the struggle that a lot of people went through that day,” he said. “The image humanizes an overwhelming tragedy and I think makes it easier to comprehend.”
Dementia is taking a toll on responders, but it's not covered by federal health program
When the World Trade Center Health Program was created in 2011, Stephen Stolarik was among the first to sign up. As a volunteer firefighter, he was at ground zero two days after the attacks, helping with recovery and cleanup efforts. Over the years, the federal program, which gives free healthcare to Sept. 11 responders and survivors, has covered his care for the post-traumatic stress disorder he developed, linked to his time there.
Then, in late 2024, at 59 years old, Stephen was diagnosed with dementia, decades younger than when most people develop the disease.
Stephen and his wife, Theresa, believe his time at ground zero is to blame.
Florida high school teacher plans to open letters written by students 25 years ago
Thirty days after the 9/11 attacks, Florida high school teacher Carey DiPompo asked her U.S. government honors students to write letters to a future generation.
"The assignment asked the students to tell future students what happened and how they were impacted. The letters were handwritten, had to include something patriotic and sealed in a decorated envelope," DiPompo wrote in a public Facebook post this month.
DiPompo, who teaches at Alonso High School in the Tampa area, told her students that she would keep the letters from Oct. 11, 2001 and open them on the 25th anniversary of the attacks, then "lead a panel discussion with the current students."
"It is my hope that kids will be teaching kids about a horrific attack that changed life in the US as we knew it," DiPompo wrote in the post. "It is my promise as an educator to all the victims, their families, survivors and all who were involved to never forget how we were united as a country and honor all who were lost."
Empty chairs at New York park memorialize those lost
Heather Khalifa / AP
In Bryant Park today, 2,753 chairs represented the lives lost at the World Trade Center on 9/11.
Charly Triballeau / AFP via Getty Images
"Wedge of Light" appears at Oculus in New York
Two columns of light, representing the World Trade Center, appear on the floor inside the Oculus transit hub in New York Friday. Heather Khalifa / AP
Each year on Sept. 11, light enters through the skylight at the Oculus and moves across the floor between the times the Twin Towers were struck and collapsed. Known as the "Wedge of Light" it was envisioned by architect Daniel Libeskind.
The cost of war around the world
Post-9/11 wars have cost lives around the world and far from the battlefield.
According to Brown University’s Costs of War project, more than 940,000 people were killed by U.S. military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Pakistan from 2001 to 2023, including more than 432,000 civilians.
In addition to the more than 7,000 U.S. service members who died, the fatalities include more than 8,000 military contractors and more than 12,000 troops from members of NATO and other U.S. allies.
Researchers say the rate of suicide in the U.S. military, which had been lower than in the general population, has also increased significantly since 2004, “signaling a mental health crisis.” About 30,000 U.S. service members and veterans of the post-9/11 wars have died by suicide, four times the number killed in combat.
Calls grow to shutter intelligence office created in 9/11 aftermath
For more than a year before Sept. 11, 2001, a trove of intelligence pointed to a looming danger: a plot by Al Qaeda to attack the U.S. possibly using hijacked planes.
But many of the clues remained buried in the federal government’s bureaucracy.
Congressional and independent inquiries later uncovered damning revelations about turf wars between the CIA and the FBI, missteps and crossed signals that crippled the government’s ability to prevent the terrorist plot.
To fix the problem, Congress created a new position in 2004: a national intelligence director who was supposed to oversee the sprawling intelligence community and ensure information was shared.
But 25 years since 9/11, there is a growing debate in Washington about whether the Office of the Director of National Intelligence has fulfilled its intended goals, whether it should be drastically reformed or even scrapped altogether — and whether new threats from China and artificial intelligence require a different approach.
NBC's Anne Thompson recalls covering 9/11 from Ground Zero
Twenty-five years ago, the sky was bright blue as summer was coming to a close, remembered NBC News' Anne Thompson, who reported on 9/11 as it was unfolding.
"Suddenly it went completely black," Thompson said. When both towers came down, Thompson was just blocks away in the Financial District, "and suddenly, you couldn't breathe. You didn't know what was going on. It was absolutely terrifying."
But that day wasn't all horror, Thompson said, recalling those who came together to help each other. She said one man named Frank helped her by pulling her into a building and giving her a towel and bottle of water to clean herself off.
"And then, when I went out of the building again, and heard that god awful sound that sounded like the Earth was opening up, he took my hand, and we raced to the center of the building where the elevators are — the strength of the building — and hid there as the South Tower came down," she said.
She remembered wondering whether anyone would ever return to lower Manhattan to live or to work.
"And now you look at it 25 years later,” she said, "and it's just a symbol of this country's resilience and a sign of hope."
Couple who met through 9/11 support group as children to throw first pitches at Yankees' game
Tonight’s ceremonial first pitches at the New York Yankees' game will be thrown by Brielle Saracini and her husband, Sean McGuire, who were both 10 years-old when they lost their fathers on 9/11.
Saracini and McGuire met through Camp Better Days, a support program for children who lost a parent in the attacks, the Yankees said in a post on X.
Saracini’s father, Victor, was the captain of United Flight 175, which was directed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center, where McGuire’s father, Patrick, worked on the 84th floor.
Days after the attacks, Saracini wrote a letter to former Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter "detailing her family’s deeply personal loss, explaining that her dad would want her to realize her dream of meeting him," the Yankees said.
NBC News' Andrea Mitchell recalls 9/11 coverage
Andrea Mitchell, NBC News' chief foreign affairs and chief Washington correspondent, recounted how the news division "mobilized" in the minutes after the first World Trade Center tower was struck.
Mitchell recalled making a series calls to senior U.S. intelligence officials while "NBC Nightly News" anchor Tom Brokaw helmed special live coverage of the attacks.
NBC News readers and viewers share their memories of 9/11 attacks
Americans, from an 11-year-old witnessing the tragedy on a classroom TV to a doctor treating victims, recalled memories of the 9/11 attacks 25 years later.
Karen Bulloch, from New Jersey, said she watched on television as the towers began to “tumble like dominos.” Bulloch said she and her husband had visited the towers the prior evening.
Rachel Langan, from New York, said she was 11 at the time and watched the towers fall on television in her middle school math class.
“Years after 9/11 many people claimed they watched the events of that day unfold in classrooms on TVs. It actually happened to me and my classmates; 11-year-olds watching buildings on fire, people jumping and the towers eventually falling,” she said.
Click here to read other stories.
Chris Hondros / Getty Images file
Frank Siller recalls losing his brother, who was in the FDNY, on 9/11
Frank Siller, the founder and CEO of the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, recalled learning his brother was killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001.
Siller said he was watching the towers collapse on the news, and turning to -his mother-in-law saying, "I think I just lost my brother." In that moment, he said, he didn't even know how his brother got there.
"I had a feeling of such loss and grief in that moment," he said.
His brother, Stephen Siller, was a firefighter and was one of 343 FDNY members killed in New York, Siller said.
Stephen Siller had just worked the night shift, and he, Siller, and their other brothers had a tee time the morning of 9/11, Siller recalled. But Stephen Siller heard on his radio that the North Tower had been hit, so he told his wife to let his brothers know he'd catch up with them later, before heading to the scene through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel.
The tunnel was already closed and littered with abandoned cars, but since he was a first responder, officials let Stephen through. Siller said his brother ran through the tunnel to get to the scene.
The youngest of seven, Stephen Siller gave his life saving others. Siller described the insurmountable loss to their family, and said his loss sparked the idea for the Tunnels to Towers Foundation — which supports fallen officers and first responders.
This morning, the Siller family retraced Stephen Siller's steps through the tunnel.
"We say freedom isn't free," Siller said. "My family knows that."
How New York City deals with threats of terrorism
Over the past 25 years, the threat of terror attacks and targeted violence in New York has evolved and expanded, according to NYPD Deputy Commissioner Rebecca Weiner.
“A lot has changed over 25 years, and it’s more a question of where isn’t it coming from because it’s coming from all over,” Weiner, who heads the NYPD’s intelligence and counterterrorism bureaus, told NBC News.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, there have been 75 disrupted plots and incidents of terrorism and targeted violence in New York City. They range from a plot to bomb the Herald Square subway station in 2004 to a homemade explosive attack near Gracie Mansion last March.
The rise of the internet and social media has helped to fuel the radicalization of lone actors inside the U.S. harboring a range of grievances, Weiner said.
“Now it’s not just Al Qaeda, ISIS — it’s Iran, it’s far left, it’s far right, it’s conspiracy-driven, grievance-fueled, and increasingly nihilistic threats grounded in an ideology that nothing matters, and the only way to feel anything is through violence,” she added.
“It’s coming from all over the world and from right at home, and the pace has accelerated tremendously.”
Ceremony at Pentagon concludes
The ceremony held at the Pentagon to commemorate the 184 lives lost concluded just after 10:30 a.m., following a speech by President Donald Trump and a closing prayer.
Pete Kiehart / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Trump nods to war with Iran
In remarks at the Pentagon, Trump reiterated one of his administration's rationales for going to war against Iran this year and framed the conflict as an extension of the U.S. response to 9/11.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran will never, ever have a nuclear weapon," Trump said. The crowd applauded.
Finn Gomez / Getty Images
Trump recalls acts of heroism aboard United 93
Trump, speaking at the Pentagon, paid tribute to the passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 who fought back against the hijackers, forcing the terrorists to crash the plane into a field in Pennsylvania instead of striking a federal government building in Washington, D.C.
He paraphrased the famous words spoken by passenger Todd Beamer, who attempted to regain control of the plane: "Let's roll."
Trump mourns 'beautiful souls ripped from our world'
In remarks at the Pentagon, Trump paid tribute to the thousands of "beautiful souls ripped from our world" on 9/11.
"We will never, ever forget. That's why we fight today. We don't have a choice. There can only be victory. We fight hard. We fight to win," Trump said.
"We will always remember the victims and the families of September 11th," the president added.
'25 years later, America is stronger than ever before,' Hegseth says
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the 9/11 attacks were "one of the darkest days in American history," adding, "evil did not get the last word."
"Twenty-five years later, America is stronger than ever before. Tall and proud," he said at the Pentagon memorial site.
Hegseth also honored the victims, the survivors, and first responders.
Trump begins speaking at Pentagon
President Donald Trump has started reading prepared remarks at the Pentagon. He took the podium after a speech from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Condoleezza Rice expresses ‘deep personal remorse’ over 9/11
Condoleezza Rice, who was President George W. Bush’s national security adviser when the Sept. 11 attacks occurred, said Friday that she still carries “deep personal remorse” for failing to recognize the danger in time to prevent the deadliest terrorist assault on American soil.
“I want to say something deeply personal,” Rice said near the end of prepared remarks at the Pentagon. “Those of us in authority on that day did not see the nature of the danger in time to prevent the attack of 9/11. We did what we knew to do, but by definition, it was not enough.”
Rice, who later served as Bush’s secretary of state, expressed gratitude to the armed forces and intelligence community for preventing a second attack, calling the absence of a follow-on assault a “miracle.” But she said the families of those killed continued to feel the pain of Sept. 11.
“But I will always carry deep personal remorse for the pain that you, the families of the fallen, still feel, and for the trauma that our country endured,” Rice said.
Moment of silence held at Pentagon
A moment of silence was held at the Pentagon memorial site in Arlington, Va., followed by a prayer.
From the archives: Tom Brokaw anchors NBC News special report
Tom Brokaw, the former anchor of the "NBC Nightly News," presented a network special report in the immediate aftermath of the attacks and attempted to put the shocking events in wider historical context.
"September 11th, the year 2001, a day unlike any other in the long course of American history, a terrorist act of war against this country," Brokaw said at the top of the report.
"Not since Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7th, 1941, has this country undergone such a devastating and damaging attack," Brokaw added. Watch the full report below.
Name-readers call on Trump to release 9/11 files
At least one person reading out names of victims — including those of their own family members — have called on President Trump to release the trove of documents related to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
"For 25 years, the deep state has hidden the truth about what happened that day 25 years ago," said one person who had just read the name of a family member. "President Trump, you’re our last hope. Release the un-redacted files that implicate Saudi Arabia while what’s left of the victims’ families are still alive to see it."
Photos: Emotional remembrances at World Trade Center site
Spencer Platt / Getty Images
There were many tearful embraces as attendees remembered those lost in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
Adam Gray / Pool via Getty Images
Adam Gray / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Rosanne Spirito and daughters Sabrina and Amanda lost their sister and daughter Catherine Lisa LoGuidice.
9/11 victims’ names read aloud at ground zero as Yo-Yo Ma performs
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma played Bach’s Cello Suite No. 2 as the names of the victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks were read aloud at ground zero in New York.
NYC firehouses, forever bound to 9/11, hold remembrances
Members of the New York City Fire Department held remembrance ceremonies this morning at three firehouses whose histories are forever linked to the attacks.
In Brooklyn, at the St. John’s Place firehouse, Engine 280/Ladder 132 paid tribute to the firefighters lost 25 years ago — including the six members of Ladder 132 who died at the World Trade Center. Meanwhile, in midtown Manhattan, Engine 54/Ladder 4/Battalion 9 remembered the 15 members of the companies who died.
Firefighters pay tribute at the Engine 54/Ladder 4/Battalion 9 firehouse. Charly Triballeau / AFP via Getty Images
Firefighters salute at the FDNY Ten House station today. Ryan Murphy / AFP via Getty Images
The "Ten House" in downtown Manhattan, which stands directly across from the former World Trade Center site, honored the six members of Engine Company 10 and Ladder Company 10 who were killed that morning. The firehouse was the first station to respond to the attacks.
The ceremonies will be followed by a 9:30 a.m. remembrance at the Firemen’s Memorial on Riverside Drive, where the department will honor the 343 FDNY members who died in the attacks.
Moment of silence held when second plane struck the World Trade Center
Former Vice President Kamala Harris shares message of remembrance
Former Vice President Kamala Harris shared words of remembrance on social media on the morning of 9/11.
"25 years have passed since September 11, 2001. A generation has grown up in the years since, but our responsibility to remember has not changed," Harris wrote. "We remember the people who went to work that morning and never came home, and we remember the families who have carried their memories every day since."
She added: "We will continue to tell their stories, honor their lives, and express our enduring gratitude for the heroism shown that day."
First moment of silence takes place in New York for the 25th 9/11 anniversary
The first of several moments of silence observing the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11th attacks took place in New York City attended by former and current leaders of the U.S. government.
George W. Bush remembers becoming a ‘wartime president’ on 9/11
Former President George W. Bush recalled how he formulated his first messages to the nation after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, saying he didn’t want the country to “lose our soul.”
The 43rd president spoke with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sept. 9 at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas ahead of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It marks the only public comments Bush plans to make about the anniversary, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reported, citing his presidential center.
Former Presidents Joe Biden and George W. Bush and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in New York today. Pamela Smith / Pool via AFP-Getty Images
Bush and Rice recalled the early moments when they first learned of the attacks in 2001. The former president, who will be appearing at an anniversary event in New York City on Sept. 11, remembered reading to a group of schoolchildren in a classroom in Florida when he was told by an aide that a second plane had hit the World Trade Center in Manhattan.
“I didn’t have much time to process that, but it was pretty clear to me that if we were under attack, then my job was to defend the child that was reading to me, and her family, and her country,” Bush said, according to a broadcast of the event by C-SPAN. “And so it was a moment of clarity."
Onlookers gather at PA memorial
In Shanksville, Pa., it's somber as hundreds of people file into the Memorial Plaza at Flight 93 National Memorial, ahead of the morning observance.
Family members have been approaching the Wall of Names all morning, laying flowers and posing for pictures in front of their loved one’s names.
Approximately 100 United Airlines flight crew members are present. They all processed in together.
Twenty artists battled light rain and breezy conditions to put the final touches on chalk portraits of the 40 victims aboard Flight 93. It’s nearly double the turnout from five years ago, when Erik Greenawalt first gathered artists from across the country to honor the passengers and crew members in Shanksville.
Emilie Ikeda / NBC News
“Chalk art is a lot like life,” Greenawalt said. “Everything we do is temporary, but memories are something that is everlasting, just like the heroism of Flight 93.”
The portraits are displayed along walkway to the Visitor’s Center through September 20 and are ultimately given to “Mother Nature.” Another artist, Shawn McCann from Minnesota, said, “Little pieces of their portraits will continue to blow into the grass and left here at the memorial site.”
Emilie Ikeda / NBC News
Sister of pilot killed reflects at Flight 93 National Memorial site
Carol Dahl Heiderich first stopped by the Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department, one of the responding agencies, before attending Friday’s somber ceremonies at the Flight 93 National Memorial.
She said reflecting on the death of her brother Jason Dahl, who was the plane’s captain, can be intense but acknowledged the importance and comfort of returning to Shanksville.
“It just feels like we’re coming home to family,” she said, describing how well she’s gotten to know the first responders and families of other victims over the past 25 years.
She said she remembers the “uneasy feeling” when she first learned of a fourth plane crash on Sept. 11, 2001. After trying his cell phone, she called her mom.
“So I said, ‘Have you heard from Jason?’ And she said, ‘Yeah, as a matter of fact, he’s flying in today. He’s going to take me to dinner tonight.’ And then my heart really just sank," she said.
A rock marks the crash of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pa. Jeff Swensen / Getty Images
President Donald Trump and first lady participate in ceremony at Pentagon
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were seen sitting on the stage at an observance ceremony at the Pentagon.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Donald Trump Jr., Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Attorney General Todd Blanche, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and FBI Director Kash Patel are also in attendance.
Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP
Bill Clinton: 'We can't erase the nightmare'
Former President Bill Clinton, who left the White House just 234 days before 9/11, called for greater social solidarity in honor of people who lost their lives in the attacks.
"We can't erase the nightmare that so many have lived through and are still living with today, but we can support the people who have given and lost so much by treating one another with respect, in person and online, and recognizing that what we have in common is far more important than what divides us," Clinton said in a statement posted on social media.
"As 9/11 moves further from lived experience into history, may we always take this solemn anniversary to come together and keep alive the memories of all who were lost. We owe that to them, to their loved ones, to each other, and to future generations," the 42nd president added.
Former President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in New York today. Adam Gray / Pool via Getty Images
Clinton also highlighted the Families of Freedom Scholarship Fund, which he co-founded with the late Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., his opponent in the 1996 general election. Clinton said the fund has awarded more than $193 million in scholarships to nearly 4,000 children and spouses of people who were killed or permanently disabled by the attacks.
Vice President JD Vance arrives at Manhattan ceremony
Vice President JD Vance was seen at the ceremony greeting former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who had been speaking with former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also approached the group of four to chat.
Also attending the ceremony are Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York Attorney General Letitia James, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
From left, former President George W. Bush, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Vice President JD Vance, Coast Guard member Matthew Palazzo, and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani at the ceremony. Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former Mayor Bill de Blasio attend Manhattan ceremony
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was seen earlier in the crowd at the memorial ceremony talking with former Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Ceremonies to honor the 3,000 lives lost are planned in lower Manhattan, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pa.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani arrive at the commemoration ceremony. Giuliani had called for Mamdani to not attend the ceremony. Michael Nagle / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Barack and Michelle Obama share statement remembering 9/11
Former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama shared a statement remembering Sept. 11, 2001. The former president is set to appear at the Ground Zero ceremony today.
"If you were young in 2001, or weren’t even born yet, it can be hard to imagine what 9/11 felt like. The shock of that beautiful, cloudless morning. The heartbreak of the families whose loved ones were taken with such swiftness and cruelty. The realization that the forces of malevolence and violence were closer, and the future less certain, than we knew," the statement began.
"But in the days that followed, we felt something else, too," it continued. "Pride in the rescue workers who had rushed to the scene, and the passengers who had stormed the cockpit. Admiration for the men and women who left behind lives of comfort to serve their country. A deep resolve that nothing would break the will of a truly United States of America."
Michelle and Barack Obama in New York today. Hiroko Masuike / Pool via Getty Images
The statement went on to say that the Obamas are "remembering those we lost that day and those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the wars that followed." It also offered prayers for the families who lost loved ones that day.
"And we hope Americans everywhere remember the true lesson of 9/11: that we can survive even our darkest days as long as we move forward as one nation and one people."
U.S. marking 25 years since 9/11 with ceremonies in New York and Washington
All four living former U.S. presidents will be at Ground Zero today to honor the lives lost on 9/11 and to remember the tragedy that struck the country 25 years ago. Vice President JD Vance will also be at Ground Zero, and President Trump will be marking the anniversary in Washington at the Pentagon.
Nearly 3,000 victims will be remembered today. Also to be honored are those who have died since 9/11 after inhaling the toxic debris at Ground Zero that day. More than 9,000 deaths due to cancer and respiratory disease are linked to 9/11.
Pentagon tributes already underway
Events at the Pentagon today began at sunrise, with the unrolling of an American flag on the side of the building — just like when the building was attacked 25 years ago.
A series of tributes is expected, including a moment of silence at 9:37 a.m., which is the moment the Pentagon was struck a quarter-century ago. The names of the 9/11 victims will also be read.
President Trump is also expected to speak at the event.
Melania Trump shares message of remembrance on social media
First lady Melania Trump shared a message to honor those who lost loved ones on Sept. 11, 2001.
"To those who lost loved ones, dreams, and hope on September 11, I know today marks only one day in an immeasurable void," she wrote on X. "September 11 froze time and left profound grief. Yet the depth of your loss speaks to the depth of the love that came before it."
The First Lady added: "May you find light in the love you shared—and strength in the memories that time can never take away."
Mayor Mamdani urges New Yorkers to unite
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani called 9/11 a day of "immeasurable loss," and spoke of the "universes gone in an instant," referring to the dead. In a video address posted online, he urged New Yorkers to "build a city worthy of their courage."
Mamdani praised those who, after the tragedy, rushed to save lives, donated blood, and opened their homes to strangers. "We have a sacred obligation to those who were stolen from us to care for one another," he added.
Sole 9/11 'triple survivor' reflects on attack 25 years later
Dr. Gordon Huie is the only recorded “triple survivor” of 9/11 — losing his sister after barely making it out of the World Trade Center himself. Huie speaks with NBC News to recount that harrowing day, not only as a survivor but also as a doctor treating patients at Ground Zero.
French president pays tribute on anniversary
French President Emmanuel Macron said September 11, 2001, "remains etched in the world’s memory," as he shared his country's condolences on Friday.
"We do not forget the lives cut short, nor the courage of those who risked everything to bring aid," he wrote in a post on X. "To the victims, the families, the American people, I express France’s tribute and its brotherhood."
U.K. stands with U.S. 'in memory of those we lost,' says prime minister
Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham offered his condolences on Friday, noting that "time may pass, but I know the grief is still felt just as deeply today."
He also paid his respects to the 67 Britons killed, stating that "terror still knocks on the door of democracy, but the United Kingdom and the United States stand together in memory of those we lost, and in defense of the values we cherish."
Sons of 9/11 firefighter grew up to carry on their father's legacy
Twenty-five years after losing their father — FDNY firefighter Frank Palombo — on 9/11, the Palombo family reflects on grief, community support and a legacy carried forward.
A ceremony to honor victims of 9/11 and the World Trade Center bombing of 1993
The National September 11 Memorial and Museum commemoration at Ground Zero in New York this morning will center on the victims of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, as well as the World Trade Center bombing in 1993. During the ceremony, the names of all 2,983 fallen will all be read by family members of victims.
Each year since 2001, six moments of silence were observed at the times each of the World Trade Center towers was struck and fell, the times corresponding to the attack on the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93. This year, a seventh moment of silence will honor the thousands of people who have died from 9/11-related illnesses or injuries in the years since the attacks.
While former presidents, members of Congress, current White House officials will attend, political figures are traditionally asked not to make any speeches at the ceremony.
Hillary Clinton warns the U.S. has let its guard down on terrorism
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned Thursday that the Trump administration isn’t doing enough to monitor and thwart terrorists who still pose a threat to the U.S., 25 years after the 9/11 attacks.
“I worry a lot that we’ve let down our guard on counterterrorism, and I don’t say this to scare anybody or to exaggerate, but I think we are not paying enough attention to resurgent terrorist actions,” Clinton said in an interview with NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell at the VOICES 25th Anniversary Symposium, an event reflecting on the attacks.
Clinton, who was a U.S. senator from New York on 9/11, said that there have been many “close calls” with terrorist plots in the ensuing quarter century and some that succeeded.
“The threat did not go away — it receded — but it is still there, and there are still many thousands of extremists in the world who wish us a great deal of ill,” she said. Clinton argued that the U.S. needs to overcome its internal divisions and confront threats from both nation-state adversaries, like Russia, China and Iran, and nonstate adversaries, like terrorist groups.
A massive American flag will be unfurled from the Pentagon
The Pentagon, where 184 people were killed when the defense building was attacked, will stage the first official ceremony of the day with a large American flag being unfurled against the side of the building at 6:46 a.m.
The tradition began when a group of first responders and soldiers unfurled a massive American flag in the same fashion on Sept. 12, 2001.
