00:01A quarter of a century after hijacked planes struck New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania,
00:07the attacks of 11 September 2001 remain lodged in the American psyche more firmly than almost
00:13any other event of the past 25 years. The 9-11 attacks were carried out by mostly
00:20Saudi hijackers orchestrated by mastermind Osama bin Laden of wealthy Saudi. 19 al-Qaeda
00:27operatives hijacked four airliners on the nearly cloudless autumn day in 2001. Two of the jets
00:33slammed into the World Trade Center's twin towers, causing the iconic 110-story buildings
00:38to collapse. A third plane struck the Pentagon while a fourth crashed into a field in Pennsylvania
00:44after passengers fought back. Nearly 3,000 people were killed on that world-altering day,
00:51and another 9,400 people died in its aftermath from 9-11-related illnesses.
00:57A ceremony was held at Ground Zero in New York to commemorate the attack's 25th anniversary,
01:03designed to be apolitical with no speeches. Traditionally, moments of silence are held
01:09at key points in the attack timeline. This year, another moment was added to honor those who died
01:14from cancer and other illnesses after being exposed to clouds of toxic dust. The event led to the US-led
01:21global war on terrorism and the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. It changed air travel,
01:26prompted new surveillance and intelligence-gathering powers, and generated ongoing debate over the
01:31balance between security and freedom.
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