Families of the victims of the worst terror attack in US history have gathered to mark their 12th anniversary with a moment of silence and the reading of names.
The September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City and Washington killed almost 3000 people, led to a long war in Afghanistan and created an expansion of government surveillance powers that continues to be debated today.
At a ceremony near Wall Street in New York, people paused at 8.46am to mark the time when the first of two hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center. The twin towers later collapsed.
President Barack Obama also marked a moment of silence at the White House and was attending a ceremony in Washington at the Pentagon, which was struck by another hijacked plane.
The attacks on a clear, beautiful morning as commuters arrived at work shook the country’s sense of security and of itself.
“No matter how many years pass, this time comes around each year – and it’s always the same,” said Karen Hinson, who lost her 34-year-old brother, Michael Wittenstein, in New York. His body was never found.
In New York, continuing a decision made last year, no politicians were making speeches.
Mourners pause at the south reflection pool of the 9/11 Memorial during a ceremony marking the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.
Around the world, thousands of volunteers have pledged to do good deeds, honouring an anniversary that was designated a National Day of Service and Remembrance in 2009.
President Barack Obama marked the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks first at the White House, and then at a solemn Pentagon ceremony attended by families of 9/11 victims and senior officers.
“We pray for the memory of all those taken from us – nearly 3,000 innocent souls,” Obama said.
“Our hearts still ache for the futures snatched away, the lives that might have been,” he said.
“They left this Earth. They slipped from our grasp.”
Quoting the Bible, Obama spoke of “the miracle of restoration,” paying tribute to the resilient spirit of victims’ families, saying he was “amazed at the will that you’ve summoned in your lives to lift yourselves up and to carry on.”
US troops invaded Afghanistan shortly after the 9/11 attacks to oust the Taliban for giving refuge to al-Qaeda, and Obama gave thanks to the American forces who served there – but said the war was now coming to a close.
He said the country would remain vigilant in the face of future terror threats but said military might alone could not bring peace and security.
“Let us have the wisdom to know that while force is at times necessary, force alone cannot build the world we seek,” he said.
Nearly 3000 people were killed in the 2001 attacks in New York, Washington and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
At the Pentagon, 184 died when a hijacked airliner struck the building.
