Paddy O'Connell

BBC radio and TV presenter Paddy O'Connell was based in New York in 2001. Here he recalls the events of 11 September and what came after.

It was a Tuesday, with clear blue skies. I never arrived for my meeting at the Twin Towers that day as I'd overslept.

For several hours we couldn’t call or meet each other. I feared my camera colleagues had died - thankfully they had not.

I was in the New York Stock Exchange when it re-opened six days later - there was a smell in the air like burnt meat mixed with petrol.

New Yorkers really came together. We were urged to hit the Broadway shows and clubs and restaurants to boost the economy. I did all of that.

Weeks later, I rang up a Wall Street banker for my reporting work, only to find out he’d been killed in the World Trade Center.

To this day, I refuse to watch the videos of the planes hitting the towers.

Image source, Reuters

Former Vice-President Kamala Harris and former President Bill Clinton have both released statements honouring the victims of 9/11.

In her statement, Harris notes that a generation has grown up in the years since 9/11, "but our responsibility to remember has not changed".

"We remember the people who went to work that morning and never came home, and we remember the families who have carried their memories every day since," she says.

Clinton says the country is remembering all those lost in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. He also mentions all the people who have fallen ill from exposure to toxic materials after the building collapse.

Clinton says it is not possible to erase the nightmare of the attacks, "but we can support the people who have given and lost so much by treating one another with respect".

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from New York

Image source, BBC News

On Friday morning, John Ryan sat quietly in an office building across the street from the memorial, gazing through a picture window at the open sky where the Twin Towers once stood.

On his mind were the friends who died in the attacks - "all young guys": a fellow court officer, firemen, and a friend who worked in the World Trade Center at the financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald.

“It was the day that changed the world. The day that changed my life,” Ryan, a retired court officer who had been visiting his brother in Connecticut on 11 September 2001, tells me.

“I wasn’t allowed to come back to Manhattan until that Friday,” he continues. “And the one thing I remember about Friday night, about 6 o’clock, they had a vigil.”

“That night, everybody stood still. All the cars stopped. Nobody moved. You know, Manhattan, they don’t stop for anything. For those minutes, everybody stood still.

“And the only noise is this plane flying over, and it was so quiet it just pierced the silence,” Ryan says, closing his eyes as he remembers events from 25 years ago.

Grace Eliza Goodwin
Reporting from New York

Back in New York, we just heard the sixth bell ring at 10:28 EDT, which marks the exact moment the North Tower fell on 11 September 2001.

The Oculus, a shopping centre that opened in 2016 near the 9/11 Memorial, was designed to resemble, on its exterior, a dove flying out of a child’s hands.

Inside, two long strips of windows cut into the ceiling above an oval-shaped passageway offer a glimpse into the sky above.

Every year on the morning of 9/11, these windows are designed to cast two beams of sunlight onto the floor below in honour of the Twin Towers.

“Here the Sun stands at 10:28 am on September 11, completing a wedge of light,” an inscription in the centre of the passageway reads.

The “Way of Light” as its called, is supposed to last from the time the first tower was hit to the time the second tower fell.

Today, however, on the 25th anniversary of the attacks, clouds are blocking out the light and no beams appear.

Trump ends his address by saying 11 September "reminded us of the terrible power of hate", but it also showed "the power of the American spirit".

"No one can ever prepare for a day like 9/11. But we can always choose to be the kind of nation the world saw in those days after," Trump says.

"We can raise our children to know that their country is good, that their fathers are brave, and that our flag is a symbol of justice and freedom."

With that, he concludes his speech at the Pentagon.

Iran war looms over Trump's speech at Pentagonpublished at 15:30 BST

15:30 BST

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Image source, Reuters

While he alluded to it before, Trump has now explicitly linked the war with Iran to the events of 9/11.

Since the attacks took place, Trump says, members of the military have "travelled to the darkest corners of the earth and done battle with a shadowy enemy".

It is clear the the spectre of the war in Iran is looming heavily over the administration as it marks the 9/11 anniversary.

US troops are still in harm's way overseas, and the US military remains heavily committed to the Middle East decades after US soldiers deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Iran was among the countries described as the "Axis of Evil" by President George W Bush a few months after the 9/11 attacks, and his administration is known to have actively considered military action against it a few years later - but ultimately moved in favour of diplomatic pressure and sanctions.

We're continuing to follow Trump's remarks at the Pentagon, but at the New York 9/11 ceremony, moments of silences are continuing to be observed:

At the National Memorial in New York, a sixth bell has rung out, followed by another moment of silence beginning at 10:28 EDT.

It marks the exact moment the World Trade Center's North Tower fell.

Image source, Getty Images

The president, still speaking at the Pentagon, says the US will never be the same after the events of 11 September 2001.

"We were all New Yorkers that day," he says of 11 September. "But we're also all Americans."

He praises members of the military and highlights how their work is continuing with the war in Iran.

"And we salute the service members working right now to ensure the world's number one sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, will never, ever have a nuclear weapon," he says.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Donald Trump is continuing to read prepared remarks off a set of teleprompters at the Pentagon.

His remarks began with a focus on the stories of the victims, both on Flight 77 and inside the Pentagon.

Like Hegseth, Trump has explicitly linked the 9/11 attacks with ongoing fighting today, although he did not directly name Iran.

"Today we renew the sacred oath that we first swore in their names a quarter of a century ago," he says. "We will never, ever forget. That's why we fight today."

Trump then goes on to say that "on days like 9/11, we learn what a country is truly made of".

"We're learning right now what we're made of, and we have to be strong and we have to be smart," he adds.

Image source, Reuters

President Donald Trump is now speaking at the Pentagon 9/11 ceremony.

"In 25 years, a generation has passed since the terror attacks," he says. "Yet time has not dimmed the honour of that day our country came face-to-face with true evil."

You can follow his remarks live by pressing watch live above.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Next up at the Pentagon 9/11 ceremony is Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was a member of the Reserved Officers Training Corps at Princeton when 9/11 took place.

Hegseth has focused his speech heavily on the military response to 9/11, including the massive recruitment numbers that the military saw immediately after the attacks and those who served overseas.

"We fought foreign wars, a generation of sacrifice, of valor, selfless and steadfast," he said. "Even if imperfect, those conflicts were our retribution."

Hegseth has also repeatedly mentioned what he termed the "Islamist threat" to the US - a fight he says continues today.

"There are still enemies who hate us. Every day, enemies plot to curb our power and kill our citizens, including from Islamic terrorists abroad and at home. But we are ever vigilant, especially this place," he said.

The defence secretary has explicitly linked the fight against terrorism to the current campaign in Iran.

"Over the past six months, we have laid waste to the world's most prolific state sponsor of terrorism. Our warriors have fought an Islamic theocracy that has wished us death for nearly half a century," Hegseth said.

Grace Eliza Goodwin
Reporting from the 9/11 memorial in New York

Back at the 9/11 Memorial in New York, I caught up with Gunter Engels, a 55-year-old from Belgium, who says everyone in his generation remembers exactly where they were on that day - even in Europe.

He recalls every channel on TV showing the news of the attacks in place of regular programming.

“The first thought in mind for me was ‘this is the end of the world,” he says.

“They're attacking America, and when things like that happen, I think they affect the whole world,” he adds. “The world has never been the same after 9/11.”

His own life changed that day too - his former brother-in-law was working in the Twin Towers when the planes hit.

He never came down that day, Engels says.

“We had a very good bond even after we were not family anymore,” Engels says. He says he tried contacting the family that day to check in, but it was “not easy, all the lines were too busy”.

“We tried a few weeks later, and then the family confirmed that he was missing,” Engels says.

“He's never been found.”

The crowd at the National Memorial in New York is taking another moment of silence after a fifth bell rang out at 10:03 EDT.

This commemorates the exact minute Flight 93 crashed in an empty field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers attempted to take control of the plane back from hijackers.

Image source, Getty Images

Approximately 140 miles away from the Pentagon's memorial to the 11 September attacks, on Somerset County, Pennsylvania, in the borough of Shanksville, is the site where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed that day after passengers attempted to regain control of the aircraft from the hijackers.

It’s intended target was believed to be either the US Capitol Building or the White House in Washington DC.

At the centre of the memorial on a hill overlooking the crash site is a white marble wall of names which, along with an observation platform, is aligned with the path of the flight.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Back at the Pentagon 9/11 ceremony, we've just heard from former National Security Adviser and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who spoke of the significance of the "out of the blue" assault on the United States.

"I was at my desk at the White House that day when my executive assistant, a young army officer, told me that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. What a strange accident, I thought," she recalled.

She was then moved to a bunker here at the White House once it became clear an attack was under way when the second aircraft struck in New York.

Rice paints a picture of chaos as the attacks unfolded, unable to get in touch with then Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in the wake of the attack on the Pentagon.

"Behind every name that we recite, there is a story, a life that mattered, a future unfulfilled, a void, a vast empty space in the heart of a husband, a wife, a son, a daughter, a sibling, a colleague, or a friend," she said.

"We come together today to say that they will never be forgotten. forgotten, and to honour their memory."

Now, a fourth bell and fourth moment of silence at New York City's memorial to those who perished 25 years ago.

Beginning at 09:59 EDT, they mark the exact moment the South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed.

You can follow along by pressing watch live above, where we'll also be carrying President Trump's remarks at the Pentagon 9/11 ceremony, beginning shortly.

Grace Eliza Goodwin
Reporting from the 9/11 Memorial in New York

Here in New York, Rich Baktis tells me how he was in high school on Long Island when the 9/11 attacks happened.

“It was chaos," the 41-year-old recalls. "Just everybody trying to find people."

He didn’t know anyone at the time who worked in the Twin Towers, but had family members who were in the area.

He says he wants younger generations to understand the magnitude of unity, patriotism, and bravery that filled the city in the aftermath.

“Everybody came together, and everybody helped everybody, and working down on the pile, even outside communities,” he says.

“Everybody lost people,” he says. But the togetherness and care that he felt in the aftermath was the “best part that came out of that terrible day”.

Events commemorating those who died in the 9/11 attacks 25 years ago have now been taking place across the US for a few hours now.

We're currently following the New York and Pentagon ceremonies in the stream at the top of the page, which began a short while ago.

Here's a reminder of what else has been happening - and timings for the rest of the day:

In New York

• 15:30 EDT (19:30 GMT, 20:30 BST): New York Philharmonic Orchestra performing at Perelman Performing Arts Center
• 17:00 EDT: Special memorial mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan
• 19:00 EDT: New York Yankees and New York Mets play memorial game

In Pennsylvania

• 08:30 EDT: Ceremony to honour the victims of Flight 93, which crashed in a field in Shanksville

• 13:00 EDT: Speeches and musical performances before a wreath-laying ceremony at the Wall of Names
• 19:30 EDT: 40 candle lanterns to be placed beside the wall in tribute to victims

In Virginia

• 08:30 EDT: Community remembrance ceremony in Manassas Park
• 09:00 EDT: President Donald Trump attends a ceremony at The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, where he is expected to give an address

Image source, Getty Images

We can now bring you more pictures of US officials attending the memorial ceremony at the Pentagon, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others.

As a reminder, ceremonies are currently under way at both the Pentagon in Virginia and the World Trade Center in Manhattan.

President Trump and his wife, Melania, were pictured earlier attending the Pentagon ceremony.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

At the Pentagon, Trump's words will be scrutinised around the worldpublished at 14:46 BST

14:46 BST

Gary O'Donoghue
Chief North America correspondent, in Washington DC

Image source, Getty Images

Shortly after dawn, as has become the ritual, the attack on the Pentagon was marked by the unfurling of the Stars and Stripes on the side of the building where Flight 77 struck at 09:37 EDT in the morning 25 years ago.

One hundred and twenty five people inside were killed, along with all 59 crew and passengers on American Airlines Flight 77.

The facade of this symbol of American power was rebuilt within a year of America's worst-ever terrorist attack. A chapel of remembrance now marks the spot where the hijackers aimed the plane. A further memorial is being constructed which will open later this decade.

Despite the attack that day, the building never stopped functioning; the US was under attack, and the men and women of the world's most powerful military immediately set about planning the country's response.

Twenty five years on, few would have imagined that American soldiers would spend two decades in Afghanistan, and even fewer would have imagined they would end up leaving in an ignominious and chaotic fashion – with the return of the Taliban who had been al-Qaeda's protectors in the first place.

Donald Trump’s decision to mark this day at the Pentagon instead of Ground Zero in New York has been somewhat controversial.

His words will be scrutinised around the world.