9/11 25 years later: Memorial commemorates two WTC attacks

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum was built to honor the nearly 3,000 killed on Sept. 11, 2001, and the six killed on Feb. 26, 1993. Those killed on 9/11 were between the ages of 2.5 and 85, from 90 countries and from varying ethnic, socioeconomic and faith backgrounds. 

Two Islamic terrorist attacks occurred at the North Tower of the World Trade Center, both on a Tuesday eight years apart. The first was on Feb. 26, 1993, caused by a van full of explosives. The second was on Sept. 11, 2001, caused by a hijacked plane. 

The majority of the 9/11 hijackers, 14, were citizens of Saudi Arabia. Three were citizens of the United Arab Emirates. One was Egyptian; one was Lebanese. They were all men between ages 20 and 33 who’d been living in several states just months before the attacks. 

They were all members of the Islamic terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, led by Saudi national Osama Bin Ladin, according to authorities. The 1993 WTC terrorist attack was committed by several Islamic terrorists, all men, led by a Pakistani national. 

Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001

The 9/11 terrorist attacks were carried out by 19 Muslim men who hijacked four commercial planes. One plane was flown into each of the Twin Towers; one crashed into the Pentagon. The fourth crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers fought the hijackers and diverted the plane from its intended target of either the White House or U.S. Capitol.

American Airlines Flight 11 – North Tower, WTC 

Flight 11 departed Boston for Los Angeles at 7:45 a.m. eastern, was hijacked and flew into the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:45 am. 

Three hijackers were Saudis; one was Egyptian; one was from the UAE. 

They killed 1,470 people in the North Tower and 87 people on Flight 11.

United Airlines Flight 175: 9:05 a.m. – South Tower, WTC

Flight 175 departed Boston for Los Angeles at 7:58 am, was hijacked and flew into the South Tower of the World Trade Center at 9:05 am. 

Three hijackers were Saudis; two were from the UAE. 

They killed 695 people in the South Tower and 60 people on Flight 175. 

The terrorists also killed 441 first responders who rushed into the towers.

American Airlines Flight 77: 9:39 am – Pentagon 

Flight 77 departed Washington Dulles for Los Angeles at 8:10 am, was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon at 9:39 a.m. 

The hijackers, all Saudis, killed 125 people at the Pentagon and 59 people on Flight 77.

United Flight 93: 10:10 am – Pennsylvania 

Flight 93 departed Newark, New Jersey, for San Francisco at 8:01 am, was hijacked and crashed in a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, at 10:10 am. Three hijackers were Saudis; one was Lebanese. 

They killed 40 people on Flight 93. 

After holding hearings and conducting an investigation, the 9/11 Commission published a report detailing extensive and systemic failures within the U.S. intelligence community as well as problems with other federal agencies. It also recommended security changes be made, many of which critics argue still haven’t been implemented 25 years later.

1993 WTC bombing

On Tuesday, Feb. 26, 1993, shortly after noon, a van packed with 1,200 pounds of explosives in a parking garage under the North Tower blew up roughly the size of half a football field. Six people were killed; hundreds were wounded. The attack was attributed to multiple Islamic men, led by Pakistani Ramzi Yousef. Four of them, sentenced to 240 years in prison, received reduced sentences in 2021. Everyone convicted is still serving life in prison. Authorities later connected the attack to an Al Qaeda plan to blow up the towers.

9/11 Memorial & Museum Commemoration

The memorial/museum is offering multiple ways for Americans to commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11. For those who can’t visit in person, it’s published online educational programs and a downloadable 25th anniversary toolkit.

The memorial consists of grounds that cover the World Trade Center complex, including two memorial pools constructed in the footprint of where each tower once stood. The names of those who were killed are inscribed into bronze parapets that surround the pools.

The North Pool memorializes 1,470 people killed in the North Tower and 87 killed on Flight 11 on 9/11. It also includes the names of six people killed on Feb. 26, 1993. 

The South Pool memorializes 695 people killed in the South Tower, 60 killed on Flight 175, 441 First Responders, 59 killed on Flight 77, 40 killed on Flight 93 and 125 killed at the Pentagon on 9/11.

A memorial guide includes the names, photos and biographical information of each person killed in 1993 and 2001, including where to find their inscribed names.

The museum includes artifacts about the 1993 North Tower bombing, a multi-part exhibit about 9/11 and a memorial exhibit. The 9/11 Memorial Glade honors those who are still sick or died from exposure to toxins at the World Trade Center site in the aftermath of 9/11 as well as the “Survivor Tree.”