On This Day: Remembering the September 11 terror attacks in New York, 25 years later

September 11, 2026, marks 25 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the deadliest act of terrorism in history, which killed almost 3,000 people. On September 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes, crashing two into the World Trade Center in New York, one into the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and a fourth into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back. Al-Qaeda's motivations included US support for Israel and India, and US troop presence in Saudi Arabia, though President George W. Bush stated, "They hate us for our freedoms." The attacks led to the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, the global war on terror, and significant changes in US counterterrorism policies like the Patriot Act. The legacy also includes increased focus on combating Islamist ideology, but also a rise in alleged Islamophobia and antisemitic conspiracy theories.