25th Anniversary of 9/11: First Official Tribute to Toxic-Dust 'Second Victims' in U.S.; Concealment Controversy Also Resurfaces

On Sept. 11 local time, memorial ceremonies were held simultaneously at Ground Zero in New York, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, marking the 25th anniversary of the worst tragedy in U.S. history, the September 11 attacks. This year's ceremonies began with the reading of the names of nearly 3,000 victims. They also featured a newly added tribute to second victims who died after exposure to toxic dust at the disaster site, while revelations suggesting that former city leaders concealed the risks showed that the wounds remain unhealed even 25 years later.


According to The New York Times (NYT) and The Wall Street Journal, the New York memorial began with a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., the time 25 years ago when American Airlines Flight 11, the first hijacked commercial airliner, struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center (WTC). A solemn ceremony followed, with family members taking turns at the podium to read the victims' names.
This year, a seventh moment of silence was added at the end of the ceremony, in addition to the six traditional moments observed at the times of the aircraft impacts and the building collapses. It honored rescue workers, residents, and recovery workers who inhaled toxic dust at the site immediately after the attacks and died over the past 25 years from cancer and other serious illnesses.
NYT reported that the number of people who have died from 9/11-related illnesses is believed to have risen sharply and already surpassed the number of victims on the day of the 9/11 attacks. Michael Bloomberg, chairman of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, said, "Tens of thousands of emergency responders, construction workers, volunteers, and survivors became ill and tragically lost their lives."


This year's 25th-anniversary commemoration took place amid an even heavier atmosphere after evidence emerged that city authorities had concealed the risks at the time.
Ahead of the ceremony, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani abruptly released an extensive collection of roughly 170,000 pages of documents, including records on air quality known to city authorities during the disaster. Mamdani criticized the authorities, saying, "People became sick because the leaders they trusted lied to them and told them it was safe to breathe the toxic air." The disclosure has fueled criticism that the leadership at the time downplayed or concealed the dangers of lingering hazardous substances in order to quickly restore financial and economic activity in Lower Manhattan, including Wall Street.
Terry Strada, national chair of the victims' family group 9/11 Families United, expressed outrage from the Ground Zero podium, saying that the U.S. government had still failed to hold Saudi Arabia accountable over allegations that it was behind the attacks. Strada said, "Twenty-five years later, we still have not found justice for Saudi Arabia's role in the murder of my husband," adding, "It has been a constant betrayal, including by the leaders standing before us today." The remarks drew loud applause from those in attendance.


All four living former U.S. presidents—Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden—attended the ceremony at Ground Zero in New York and remained for the event.
There was considerable opposition to the attendance of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, New York City's first Muslim mayor. Thousands of residents, including victims' family members, had signed a petition urging him not to attend the ceremony. Rudolph Giuliani, who was New York City mayor at the time of 9/11, and right-wing activists also strongly opposed his participation. Mamdani nevertheless shook hands with former Mayor Giuliani before the ceremony and attended as scheduled.
President Donald Trump attended the memorial ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington instead of the New York event, where he laid a wreath and delivered a speech. Vice President JD Vance attended the New York ceremony on Trump's behalf.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized the legitimacy of the ongoing military operation against Iran in a speech at the Pentagon ceremony, saying, "We control the strait, and we will end this fight."
[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter