US remembers victims of 9/11 attacks

The attacks in New York 
and Washington killed almost 
3,000 people, led to a long 
war in Afghanistan and 
created an expansion of government surveillance powers that continues to be debated today.

At a ceremony near Wall Street in New York, people paused at 12.46 GMT to mark the time when the first of two hijacked planes struck the World Trade Centre. The twin towers later collapsed.

President Barack Obama also marked a moment of silence at the White House and was attending a ceremony in Washington at the Pentagon, which was struck by another hijacked plane.

“No matter how many years pass, this time comes around each year – and it’s always the same,” said Karen Hinson, who lost her 34-year-old brother, Michael Wittenstein, in New York. His body was never found.

Continuing a decision made last year, no politicians will make speeches.

Around the world, thousands of volunteers have pledged to do good deeds, honouring an anniversary that was designated a National Day of Service and Remembrance in 2009.

In New York, families of the victims read the names of each person who died at the World Trade Centre. A separate memorial was held outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania, honouring the passengers and crew of United Flight 93, who struggled with the hijackers of the plane, preventing it from hitting its intended target, believed to be the White House or the Capitol.

All 33 passengers and seven crew members on the flight were killed after the plane crashed into a field about 75 miles (120km) south-east of Pittsburgh.

The memorials come as builders finish the new World Trade Centre tower and a museum remembering the attacks.