NEW YORK - With tears and emotions, Americans on Sunday remembered the deadly terrorist attacks on Sept 11 2001 that left nearly 3,000 people dead in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania as police worked to ensure the 10th anniversary was peaceful.
“God is our refuge and strength,” President Barack Obama said, reading from the Bible, during the ceremony at Ground Zero, the centerpiece of which was the annual reading of the names of the dead by family members.
In Islamabad, a Foreign Office statement and an advertisement in The Wall Street Journal paid tributes to the victims of the attacks, saying Pakistan too was a target of terrorism.
In New York, President Obama joined predecessor George W Bush, as they and their wives held hands while along a wall etched with the names of those who died at where the centre stood on Sept. 11, 2001. The four solemnly looked at the memorial’s waterfalls, and, then, shook hands and exchanged hugs with a group of family members and elected officials amid a heavy police presence.
Following a moment of silence, Obama read passages from the Bible. Then families of the victims started reading of the names, which were carved into stone at the reflecting pools.
Bush read a letter by Abraham Lincoln, to a mother, whose five sons were killed in battles, after the second pause.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, “Ten years have passed since a perfect blue sky morning turned into the blackest of nights. Since then, we’ve lived in sunshine and in shadow.
Obama and Bush were among the eight current or former elected officials to deliver readings at the ceremony, which began at 8:35 am. Obama, the first sitting president to attend the annual ceremony, gave the green light earlier this year for the military mission that killed Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the deadliest foreign attack on American soil.
The 10th anniversary marks the official opening of the National September 11 Memorial—twin reflecting pools that sit within the footprints of the Twin Towers and feature bronze panels on which the names of the dead are inscribed. A 9/11 museum is scheduled to open at the World Trade Centre site next September.
The ceremony comes three days after US authorities said they received credible intelligence that Qaeda militants might be attempting car or truck bombings in New York City and Washington, a plot aimed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the attacks. The New York Police Department has stepped up security around the city, and the mayor has urged New Yorkers to go about their lives unafraid and undeterred.
Meanwhile, Muslim, Jewish and Christian clergy embarked on an 18-city tour of the United States to combat religious intolerance that has risen after 9/11.
They will be presenting messages about religious diversity and pluralism to thousands. The tour is being led by Founder and President of Clergy Beyond Borders. Biden presided over the 10th anniversary service commemorating the horrific morning when an American Airlines Boeing 757, Flight 77, crashed into the seemingly impregnable headquarters of the world’s most powerful military.
Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, who introduced Biden at the ceremony, told the crowd that “no words can ease the pain you still feel.” He said that the country would never forget the human cost paid by this generation — including “the more than 6,200 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines lost in the line of duty” since 9/11.
In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, thousands of people gathered for solemn commemoration in a field, where United Airlines Flight 93, hurtling through the air at more than 575 miles an hour, crashed on Sept. 11, 2001 at 10:03 a.m.
Interestingly, there was no mention of those 9/11 victims who belonged to other countries including Pakistan in the US ceremonies nor of the sacrifices which other countries, particularly Pakistan, had made in the war against terrorism.
Agencies add: Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama in an interview with NBC News broadcast amid September 11 commemorations Sunday said to look out for suspicious activity as authorities tracked a credible terror threat.
Obama said US intelligence and security officials had been preparing for months for the 10th anniversary of the Al-Qaeda attack on New York and Washington.
“That doesn’t mean though we shouldn’t be vigilant,” Obama said.
“What we want all Americans to know is, your government has prepared for it.”
“It is important for you to keep your eyes open. You should go about doing what you were planning to do on 9/11 anyway.
“But people should be on the lookout and make sure that if something suspicious is taking place you are informing your local law enforcement.”
During the same interview, Obama recalled September 11, 2001 as a day when a tried and tested United States “came together” in the face of disaster.
“For me, like for most of us, our first reaction was and continues to be just heartbreak for the families involved,” Obama told NBC.
“The other thing that we all remember is how America came together, and so 10 years later, I’d say America came through this thing in a way that was consistent with our character,” the president said in the interview broadcast Saturday..
“We made mistakes. Some things haven’t happened as quickly as they needed to, but overall we took the fight to Al-Qaeda,” he added.
“We preserved our values. We preserved our character,” he said in the interview at the White House.
Meanwhile, police in Massachusetts were scrambling to track down a Penske truck on Sunday after receiving a report that three men were seen loading large drums into the back of the vehicle late Saturday.
The suspicious activity alert advised officers to be on the lookout after someone in Boston saw men loading a number of 55-gallon drums into a Penske truck, state police spokesman David Procopio told Reuters.
“Given the tenor of the day that today is, and given the intelligence reports that we received from the FBI this week, prudent action dictates that we stop Penske trucks matching that description and conduct a threshold interview with the operators,” Procopio said.
The truck was spotted Saturday night on the 600 block of Columbus Avenue in Boston’s South End, he said.
Officials weren’t aware of other details about the incident that made it suspicious, Procopio said. He said the alert was not a cause for panic, but a lead worth checking out.
“God is our refuge and strength,” President Barack Obama said, reading from the Bible, during the ceremony at Ground Zero, the centerpiece of which was the annual reading of the names of the dead by family members.
In Islamabad, a Foreign Office statement and an advertisement in The Wall Street Journal paid tributes to the victims of the attacks, saying Pakistan too was a target of terrorism.
In New York, President Obama joined predecessor George W Bush, as they and their wives held hands while along a wall etched with the names of those who died at where the centre stood on Sept. 11, 2001. The four solemnly looked at the memorial’s waterfalls, and, then, shook hands and exchanged hugs with a group of family members and elected officials amid a heavy police presence.
Following a moment of silence, Obama read passages from the Bible. Then families of the victims started reading of the names, which were carved into stone at the reflecting pools.
Bush read a letter by Abraham Lincoln, to a mother, whose five sons were killed in battles, after the second pause.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, “Ten years have passed since a perfect blue sky morning turned into the blackest of nights. Since then, we’ve lived in sunshine and in shadow.
Obama and Bush were among the eight current or former elected officials to deliver readings at the ceremony, which began at 8:35 am. Obama, the first sitting president to attend the annual ceremony, gave the green light earlier this year for the military mission that killed Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the deadliest foreign attack on American soil.
The 10th anniversary marks the official opening of the National September 11 Memorial—twin reflecting pools that sit within the footprints of the Twin Towers and feature bronze panels on which the names of the dead are inscribed. A 9/11 museum is scheduled to open at the World Trade Centre site next September.
The ceremony comes three days after US authorities said they received credible intelligence that Qaeda militants might be attempting car or truck bombings in New York City and Washington, a plot aimed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the attacks. The New York Police Department has stepped up security around the city, and the mayor has urged New Yorkers to go about their lives unafraid and undeterred.
Meanwhile, Muslim, Jewish and Christian clergy embarked on an 18-city tour of the United States to combat religious intolerance that has risen after 9/11.
They will be presenting messages about religious diversity and pluralism to thousands. The tour is being led by Founder and President of Clergy Beyond Borders. Biden presided over the 10th anniversary service commemorating the horrific morning when an American Airlines Boeing 757, Flight 77, crashed into the seemingly impregnable headquarters of the world’s most powerful military.
Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, who introduced Biden at the ceremony, told the crowd that “no words can ease the pain you still feel.” He said that the country would never forget the human cost paid by this generation — including “the more than 6,200 soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines lost in the line of duty” since 9/11.
In Shanksville, Pennsylvania, thousands of people gathered for solemn commemoration in a field, where United Airlines Flight 93, hurtling through the air at more than 575 miles an hour, crashed on Sept. 11, 2001 at 10:03 a.m.
Interestingly, there was no mention of those 9/11 victims who belonged to other countries including Pakistan in the US ceremonies nor of the sacrifices which other countries, particularly Pakistan, had made in the war against terrorism.
Agencies add: Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama in an interview with NBC News broadcast amid September 11 commemorations Sunday said to look out for suspicious activity as authorities tracked a credible terror threat.
Obama said US intelligence and security officials had been preparing for months for the 10th anniversary of the Al-Qaeda attack on New York and Washington.
“That doesn’t mean though we shouldn’t be vigilant,” Obama said.
“What we want all Americans to know is, your government has prepared for it.”
“It is important for you to keep your eyes open. You should go about doing what you were planning to do on 9/11 anyway.
“But people should be on the lookout and make sure that if something suspicious is taking place you are informing your local law enforcement.”
During the same interview, Obama recalled September 11, 2001 as a day when a tried and tested United States “came together” in the face of disaster.
“For me, like for most of us, our first reaction was and continues to be just heartbreak for the families involved,” Obama told NBC.
“The other thing that we all remember is how America came together, and so 10 years later, I’d say America came through this thing in a way that was consistent with our character,” the president said in the interview broadcast Saturday..
“We made mistakes. Some things haven’t happened as quickly as they needed to, but overall we took the fight to Al-Qaeda,” he added.
“We preserved our values. We preserved our character,” he said in the interview at the White House.
Meanwhile, police in Massachusetts were scrambling to track down a Penske truck on Sunday after receiving a report that three men were seen loading large drums into the back of the vehicle late Saturday.
The suspicious activity alert advised officers to be on the lookout after someone in Boston saw men loading a number of 55-gallon drums into a Penske truck, state police spokesman David Procopio told Reuters.
“Given the tenor of the day that today is, and given the intelligence reports that we received from the FBI this week, prudent action dictates that we stop Penske trucks matching that description and conduct a threshold interview with the operators,” Procopio said.
The truck was spotted Saturday night on the 600 block of Columbus Avenue in Boston’s South End, he said.
Officials weren’t aware of other details about the incident that made it suspicious, Procopio said. He said the alert was not a cause for panic, but a lead worth checking out.
