US marks 24th anniversary of 9/11 NY terror attacks 

New York (Web Desk/Agencdies): New York will once again pause to remember the tragic events of September 11, 2001, as the city prepares to mark the 24th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that took nearly 3,000 lives and reshaped the course of U.S. history.

The coordinated hijackings saw two planes slam into the World Trade Center in Manhattan, another crash into the Pentagon outside Washington, and a fourth, Flight 93, brought down in Pennsylvania when passengers resisted the attackers.

Vice President JD Vance is set to attend the commemoration at Ground Zero, where the twin towers once stood. The gathering, now an annual tradition, is one of the most solemn occasions in the country, drawing families of victims, survivors, and leaders from across the nation.

This year’s remembrance unfolds against a charged political climate. New York’s mayoral race has gripped the city, with Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani in the spotlight as he faces off against former governor Andrew Cuomo and current mayor Eric Adams. Voters are scheduled to cast their ballots on November 4, though it remains uncertain which of the candidates will appear at the memorial. By tradition, the sitting mayor attends alongside community representatives.

Mamdani, a naturalized American citizen and Muslim, leads the race by 22 points according to a recent New York Times and Siena survey. His candidacy has stirred controversy, with former President Donald Trump repeatedly attacking him as a “communist lunatic,” while a Republican lawmaker has even suggested deporting him. Speaking to The Times, Mamdani recalled that for many New Yorkers, 9/11 was the moment they were labeled outsiders, citing the wave of Islamophobia that followed.

Whether Trump himself will attend the memorial remains unclear. His possible presence is being speculated at a time when the country has witnessed a string of violent political incidents, including the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, the assassination of a Democratic lawmaker from Minnesota and her husband, and the firebombing of a Democratic governor’s home.

New York will observe a collective moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. (1246 GMT), marking the instant when Flight 11 struck the North Tower. Across the city, churches and mosques will toll their bells as relatives of the victims read aloud the names of those who perished.

The confirmed death toll from the attacks stands at 2,977, including the passengers and crews of the four hijacked planes, office workers and visitors in the towers, firefighters and other first responders, and staff at the Pentagon. The number does not account for the 19 Al-Qaeda hijackers.