New York marks 25 years since 9/11 as Mamdani attends despite backlash
Families read victims’ names and demand Saudi accountability at Ground Zero, where a new moment of silence honors those lost to 9/11-related illnesses
Victims’ families returned to Ground Zero to mark 25 years since the September 11 attacks, remembering loved ones and renewing demands for justice as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended despite calls from many of the relatives for him to stay away.
Vice President JD Vance joined former presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden at the memorial in Lower Manhattan. President Donald Trump attended the commemoration at the Pentagon.
The first moment of silence came at 8:46 a.m., when the first hijacked aircraft struck the World Trade Center’s North Tower. Relatives then began reading the names of the 2,977 people killed in the attacks and the six victims of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Elsie Caldwell carried a photograph of her son Kenny, whose remains were never recovered. She recalled his final phone call that morning: “Mom, I just want to let you know that I love you.”
Another mourner, Angilic Casalduc, who lost her mother Vivian, said attending the annual gathering helped ease her isolation. “There’s no timeline for grief,” she said.
“These were not warriors. These were people like you and me going to work,” said survivor Gregory Carafello, attending in memory of his friend James Martello.
The reading also brought pointed appeals to the political leaders present. Terry Strada, whose husband Tom died in the attacks, challenged Saudi Arabia over its alleged role.
“How can it be 25 years and still we have no justice for the role that Saudi Arabia played in your murder?” she asked.
Strada accused successive US presidents of protecting the kingdom and urged Vance to take the families’ demands back to Trump, drawing applause. Saudi Arabia has long denied involvement in the attacks; 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals.
Mamdani, New York’s first Muslim mayor, shook hands with Rudy Giuliani before the ceremony. Giuliani, who led the city during the attacks, had publicly urged him to stay away.
Some victims’ relatives had petitioned organizers to exclude Mamdani, citing his political associations and past positions. Their objections included his reluctance to condemn the slogan “globalize the intifada” and his relationship with extremist commentator Hasan Piker, who had said America deserved the attacks.
His administration also released an initial 170,000 pages of city records concerning the aftermath of the attacks, including what officials knew about toxic air around Ground Zero, following a prolonged legal battle over disclosure.
For the first time, the ceremony included a seventh moment of silence honoring those who died from 9/11-related health conditions.