America remembering 9/11 terror attacks on 24-year anniversary with memorials across nation

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo hosted a press conference days before the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City, where speakers criticized Zohran Mamdani for associating with a Twitch streamer who once declared, "America deserved 9/11."

Steps from Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan, Cuomo stood alongside Sal Tururici, a longtime Fire Department of New York City (FDNY) emergency medical technician (EMT) and 9/11 first responder who was later diagnosed with terminal cancer. 

"I am calling on Zohran Mamdani to disavow Hasan Piker and his hateful words. His association with Hasan Piker disqualifies him to serve in any role for New York City, let alone one as important as mayor," Tururici's wife, Wendi, who became an EMT following 9/11, said during Tuesday's press conference.

This is an excerpt from an article written by Deirdre Heavey.

Newlyweds Kristin and Noah Schnacky joined "Fox & Friends" on Thursday to discuss the special escort the bride had on their wedding day.

Kristin lost her father, a New York City firefighter, in the 9/11 terror attacks when she was just three years old. This year, when she got married, firefighters from her father's firehouse escorted her in their trucks to her wedding venue.

"My breath was taken away. Walking out and seeing my dad represented in that way, it was such an honor," Kristen said.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is currently running for re-election, spoke with "Fox & Friends" on Thursday as his city and the nation commemorate the 24th anniversary of the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

"As a lieutenant during that time, and coming down to the site that evening, and watching the ground smoldering and seeing two buildings that were the symbols of our strength here in the New York area... those emotions come back. But also I have the feeling of our resiliency. On 9/12, we got up," Adams, who was a police officer during the 9/11 attacks, told "Fox & Friends."

The mayor also spoke about political unrest in the city, particularly after years of protests over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Fox News' Lawrence Jones asked the mayor whether the protesters were a signal that America had forgotten about 9/11.

"It breaks my heart when I watch the radicalization of our young people through social media and through commentary that they just don't understand," Adam said, referencing when Osama Bin Laden's letter went viral back in 2023.

"I believe we have to constantly remind our young people that this is the greatest country on the globe and we have enemies both foreign and domestic that want to hurt us."

FIRST ON FOX: A bipartisan group of lawmakers from the House Homeland Security Committee are visiting Ground Zero in New York City to commemorate the 24th anniversary of 9/11 on Thursday, Fox News Digital has learned. 

New York remains in terrorism's crosshairs, and members from the House Homeland Security Committee have sounded the alarm on potential threats the U.S. continues to face – especially as the U.S. gears up to host upcoming large-scale events like the FIFA World Cup next year. 

Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, will lead a cohort of lawmakers on the committee to visit Ground Zero on Thursday, according to a committee aide. The lawmakers are also slated to lay flowers at the memorial before thanking first responders, and also participate in a staff-led tour of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum on Thursday evening. 

"Twenty-four years later, it’s critical to remember that [the Department of Homeland Security] and the Committee on Homeland Security were created in the aftermath of one of the darkest days in our nation’s history," Garbarino said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "As a lifelong New Yorker and a proud Long Islander, ‘Never Forget’ is about more than remembrance; it is a call to action that guides my work every day, and it will continue to guide the Committee’s."

"More than two decades later, our nation still faces heightened and evolving threats from foreign terrorist organizations and homegrown violent extremists, and New York remains a top terror target," Garbarino said. 

The Justice Department’s research and technology agency, the National Institute of Justice, determined in 2023 that New York City had the highest number of attempted or actual terror incidents in the country. 

This is an excerpt from an article by Diana Stancy.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth spoke about his own journey into the military and the sacrifices made by American servicemembers on 9/11 and in the subsequent years.

"I felt an unshakable call to action, a duty to defend our sacred homeland with everything I had," Hegseth said of his feeling after seeing what happened on Sept. 11, 2001.

Hegseth also spoke of the assassination of Charlie Kirk on Wednesday, saying that like those who lost their lives on 9/11 he would also not be forgotten. 

"The life example and even death of Christ follower, American patriot Charlie Kirk gives me hope," Hegseth said. "Charlie, we love you... like those on 9/11, you will never be forgotten."

President Donald Trump spoke at the Pentagon's 9/11 memorial ceremony on the 24th anniversary of the terrorist attack on Thursday.

"Eighty-four years ago this morning, the banks of the Potomac were filled with the clamor of construction workers who broke ground on the building now known as the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 1941. At the time, it was the biggest building ever built," Trump said. "From that moment forward, this structure stood as a monument to American strength, power and cherished American freedom."

"Exactly six decades later, on Sept. 11, 2001, those same walls, built with the sweat, muscle and blood of our parents and grandparents, were scarred by flame and shaken by terror as our country came face to face with pure evil," the president continued. "On that fateful day, savage monsters attacked the very symbols of our civilization."

Trump detailed the horrific events of 9-11 and the bravery of American first responders, as well as those on United Airlines Flight 93 who chose to sacrifice themselves and save the lives of their fellow Americans. He also told the stories of several Americans who lost their lives in the terror attacks that forever changed the nation.

"Twenty-four years have passed since that Tuesday morning in September, and an entire generation of Americans have come of age in a totally different world," Trump said. "While they cannot remember the agony of that day, they are carrying on the legacy of those who [were] lost."

The president concluded with words of hope for America.

"In their memory, we make a solemn pledge and a noble promise: We will honor always our great heroes," Trump said. "We will always talk about our heroes, that's the way our country is, and that's the way the people feel."

"We will defend the nation they serve, the values they have held and the freedom for which they died," Trump added. "We will support our troops. We will protect our families and we will preserve the American way of life for every future generation. We will build taller, grow stronger, fight harder and soar higher, and together we will go forward as one people with one heart, one faith, one flag and one glorious destiny under Almighty God."

At 10:03 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The plane, which was headed from New Jersey to California, was about 20 minutes flying time away from Washington, D.C., when the passengers and crew members began storming the cockpit. The crash killed 40 passengers and crew members aboard the flight.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine spoke at the Pentagon as America marked 24 years since the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

"The conventional wisdom is that our nation went to war weeks later in Afghanistan. The truth is, we went to war immediately and America started to fight back before the attack was even over."

He commended the heroic actions of first responders and those aboard United Flight 93 who sacrificed themselves.

At 9:37 a.m. American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, killing the 53 passengers and six crew members on board. The crash and fire killed 125 military and civilian personnel on the ground, according to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

At 9:03 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.

The first attack of Sept. 11, 2001, was at 8:46 a.m. when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.

The White House memorialized those lost on Sept. 11, 2001, with a post on X.

"On the 24th anniversary of 9/11, we honor the lives lost, the heroes who emerged, and the resilience of the American spirit," the White House wrote.

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) held a ceremony on Sept. 10 ahead of the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. The NYPD lost 23 officers, the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) lost 343 firefighters and the Port Authority of NY & NJ lost 37. The NYPD also acknowledged those who continue to suffer from illnesses related to injuries sustained during the 2001 attacks.

"September 11, 2001, marked one of our nation’s darkest days. Few responded as bravely as New York City’s first responders," the NYPD wrote in a memorial post on X.