America Remembers 9/11

On a grey morning punctuated by rain, New Yorkers paused yesterday to mark the sixth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Centre, observing four moments of silence for the impacts of the two hijacked planes and the subsequent collapse of the twin towers.

Across the country ceremonies took place to remember the attacks, which led to the deaths of 2,993 people, including the 19 hijackers.

In Washington ceremonies were held at the White House and the Pentagon, where one of the hijacked planes crashed, killing 184 people.

While the New York ceremony was familiar, with the names of the 2,750 victims of the attacks being read out, the location was different. For the first time the ceremony moved to a nearby park after New York mayor Michael Bloomberg decreed that the WTC site, which is now a construction site, was too dangerous. That decision drew protests from some of the families of the victims, leading to a compromise that allowed them to descend to the pit where the towers once stood to pay their respects. Even so, many chose not to attend.

As is also customary around the anniversary of the attacks, al-Qaida released a new message, with Osama bin Laden appearing in a video urging supporters to join the "caravan" of martyrs, and introducing a tribute to one of the hijackers.