In the USA, the commemoration ceremonies for the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 have begun. In the presence of US President Joe Biden, New York remembered the victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 on Saturday.
At 8:46 a.m. (local time), a minute’s silence began at the attack site in southern Manhattan, known as Ground Zero – exactly at the time when Islamist terrorists piloted the first of four hijacked aircraft into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York 20 years ago. In total, almost 3,000 people were killed in the attacks.
In addition to the President and First Lady Jill Biden, numerous relatives of the victims and survivors came to the memorial service at today’s memorial. Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton were also present with their wives. Before the minute of silence, a choir had sung the US national anthem.
After the minute of silence, victims’ relatives began reading out the names of the nearly 3,000 victims of 9/11. Rock star Bruce Springsteen also performed and sang his song “I’ll See You In My Dreams”.
Biden was accompanied by his wife, Jill, to the ceremony at the New York 9/11 Memorial. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were among the numerous guests.
A total of six minutes of silence were planned to commemorate the impact of two aircraft in the World Trade Center, the collapse of the two towers, the impact of another hijacked aircraft in the US Department of Defense outside Washington, and the crash of a fourth hijacked machine in Shanksville, state Pennsylvania. A funeral service also began at the Pentagon on Saturday morning.
Biden had previously described national unity as the greatest strength of the United States on the occasion of the commemoration of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. In the days after the attacks, heroic action, resilience and “a true sense of national unity” were demonstrated, Biden said in a video message released on Friday evening.
“In the struggle for the soul of America, unity is our greatest strength. Unity doesn’t mean we have to believe in the same thing. We have to have a basic respect and trust, ”said Biden.
The attacks had motivated a generation to serve the country and also to protect it against terrorism, Biden said. Anyone who wants to harm the United States should know the following: “We will hunt you down, catch you and hold you accountable.” This applies today, tomorrow and forever, he emphasized.
Biden criticized that after the attacks “the darker forces of human nature” also emerged, namely “fear and anger”. For example, there was prejudice and violence against American Muslims, against “true and devout followers of a peaceful religion,” said Biden. But the country must not allow itself to be divided. “Unity is what defines us – America at its best.”
[Wenn Sie aktuelle Nachrichten aus Berlin, Deutschland und der Welt live auf Ihr Handy haben wollen, empfehlen wir Ihnen unsere App, die Sie hier für Apple- und Android-Geräte herunterladen können.]
To mark the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the victims are to be remembered at numerous events in the USA on Saturday. US President Biden will also take part in the commemorations. After remembering the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon near the capital Washington, Biden is currently in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
US Vice President Kamala Harris plans to attend a separate event in Shanksville on Saturday and then visit the Pentagon with the President and the First Lady. There are also funeral services, cultural events and minutes of silence across the country to commemorate the attacks and the thousands of deaths.
[T+-Abonnenten lesen hier einen Essay darüber, was der „Krieg gegen den Terror“ mit dem Westen gemacht hat: Wir sind die Stammeskrieger]
For example, the musicians of the New York Metropolitan Opera want to perform Giuseppe Verdi’s “Requiem” on Saturday evening to commemorate the dead. In addition, numerous well-known buildings in the metropolis are to be illuminated in blue, including the Empire State Building. Where the twin towers of the World Trade Center once stood, two blue columns of light rise from the ground for a few nights. The police presence in New York is to be increased on the anniversary of the attacks.
[Jeden Donnerstag die wichtigsten Entwicklungen aus Amerika direkt ins Postfach – mit dem Newsletter “Washington Weekly” unserer USA-Korrespondentin Juliane Schäuble. Hier geht es zur kostenlosen Anmeldung.]
On September 11, 2001, Islamist terrorists piloted three hijacked aircraft into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon near Washington. Another hijacked plane crashed in Pennsylvania. Around 3,000 people were killed in the attacks.
Maas commemorates victims of the terrorist attacks in the USA
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) remembered the victims of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Germany and the United States are mourning the 20th anniversary of the attacks, Maas said on Friday evening in Berlin. “Even 20 years later, we must not lose sight of the fact that not only the United States was attacked on September 11, but all of us,” he said.
The nearly 3,000 fatalities came from 92 different countries, including eleven people from Germany. “The realization remains: permanent instability, extremism and terror, even in more distant regions of the world, will affect us all at some point,” said Maas. Much of what happened after the attacks had to be thought about critically. The recent events in Afghanistan would have shown that very brutally.
UN Secretary General remembers “dark day
“Today we commemorate a dark day that has burned itself into the minds of millions of people worldwide,” said UN Secretary General António Guterres, according to the announcement. His thoughts are with the victims and their families, with the survivors and the emergency services who came to help at the time. “Today we stand in solidarity with the people of New York, the USA and all victims of terrorism worldwide.” The members of the UN Security Council had visited the memorial for the victims in New York in the run-up to the anniversary.
[Zum Trauma von 9/11 lesen Abonnenten von T+ mehr hier: Vom Schock der Anschläge hat sich der Westen nie erholt]
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reminded on Friday of the “extraordinary solidarity” of the people around the world after the terrorist attacks 20 years ago. “They gathered in front of our embassies and consulates, prayed, sang and wept. They left handwritten notes, flowers, candles, drawings and memorabilia, ”said Blinken. Among the hundreds of letters in front of the Berlin embassy, for example, there was a handwritten note, Blinken continued. It said: “Kennedy said: ‘I’m a Berliner.’ We say: ‘We are Americans.’ ” (epd, dpa)
–
