New York is prepared to mark the devastating attacks of September 11, 2001, on Thursday, 24 years after the deadly plane hijackings that claimed almost 3,000 lives and forever changed the United States.
According to AFP, US Vice President JD Vance is expected to attend memorial events at Ground Zero in Manhattan, where the World Trade Center's twin towers were destroyed in coordinated attacks that also saw a jetliner crash into the Pentagon, the nerve centre of American military power, in Washington.
Another hijacked aircraft, Flight 93, crashed into the Pennsylvania countryside after passengers overpowered the hijackers and took control of the plane.
This year's commemoration takes place against a backdrop of sharp political division, both in New York City and across the country. The city is in the midst of an unprecedented mayoral election campaign, featuring socialist Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani, former governor Andrew Cuomo, and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams. New Yorkers will go to the polls on November 4.
It was unclear which of the mayoral candidates would attend the ceremony, which traditionally includes the participation of the sitting mayor and local community leaders.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked Mamdani, a Muslim and naturalised U.S. citizen, referring to him as a "communist lunatic." One Republican lawmaker has even called for Mamdani, currently leading the race by 22 points according to The New York Times and Siena polling, to be deported.
"It was this horrific day that was also for many New Yorkers the moment at which they were marked an 'other,'" Mamdani told The Times, referencing the rise in Islamophobic attacks that followed the 9/11 attacks.
It remains unclear whether Trump will attend the commemorative events in New York, as he has in previous years.
The United States continues to grapple with a wave of political violence in recent months, including the killing of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, the targeted killing of a Democratic Minnesota lawmaker and her husband, and the firebombing of a Democratic governor's residence.
New York will observe a citywide moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., the time when hijacked Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Bells will ring at places of worship across the city, while families of victims will read the names of those killed at Ground Zero.
The official death toll stands at 2,977, including passengers and crew aboard the four hijacked planes, victims in the Twin Towers, firefighters, and personnel at the Pentagon. The 19 Al-Qaeda hijackers are not included in this count.
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