Sombre US honours victims of 9/11

11 September 2011 Last updated at 09:48 ET

Ceremonies are being held in the US to honour the victims of the 9/11 attacks, 10 years after the event.

Nearly 3,000 people died when four hijacked airliners were crashed into the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field.

Relatives wept as they read out names of the victims. A minute’s silence marked each moment a jet struck.

Security is tight following warnings of a possible new attack by al-Qaeda, the group behind the 2001 attacks.

US President Barack Obama read from the Bible at the ceremony in New York. He chose a passage from Psalm 46, which speaks of God’s refuge and strength, “a very present help in trouble”.

Hosting the event, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said a “perfect blue sky” had turned into “the blackest of nights” on 9/11.

The first plane hit the WTC’s North Tower at 08:46 (13:46 GMT), the second at 09:03. The third attack, on the Pentagon, occurred at 09:37.

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An official memorial is to be unveiled at the of the WTC’s twin towers.

Metal barriers have been erected on nearby roads, while police in New York and Washington are stopping and searching large vehicles entering bridges and tunnels.

The CIA received a warning last week that al-Qaeda might have sent attackers, some of them possibly US citizens, to bomb one of the cities.

The warning was described by officials as “credible but unconfirmed”.

As in previous anniversaries, the names of all the victims were being read out at the of the WTC.

A pause for silence will also be held to remember the loss of the plane forced down in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, by passengers who fought the hijackers after learning of the other attacks.

President Obama is due to travel to all three s.

New York’s National September 11 Memorial features two reflecting pools, each almost an acre in size, in the footprints of the twin towers.

The names of those who died on 9/11, as well as the six people killed in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, are inscribed on the edge of the pools.

Sunday’s ceremonies began at the US embassy in the Afghan capital, Kabul, where the flag was lowered to half-mast to remember those who died 10 years ago, as well as those who have died since.

A piece of the twin towers is buried underneath the flag pole.

US forces were sent to Afghanistan to oust the Taliban from power after they had given sanctuary to al-Qaeda.

Ambassador Ryan Crocker acknowledged that many in the US were “tired” of the 10-year war in Afghanistan.

“We’re here so there is never again another 9/11 coming from Afghanistan’s soil,” the AFP news agency quotes him as saying.

Overnight, insurgents attacked US bases in Bagram and Wardak, injuring about 80 US troops and killing two Afghan civilians, officials say.

On Saturday, President Obama said the US was stronger 10 years after the attacks. “As a resilient nation, we will carry on,” he told Americans in his weekly address.

“Thanks to the tireless efforts of our military personnel and our intelligence, law enforcement and homeland security professionals, there should be no doubt: today, America is stronger and al-Qaeda is on the path to defeat.

“Yes we face a determined foe, and make no mistake – they will keep trying to hit us again. But as we are showing again this weekend, we remain vigilant.”

President Obama was joined in New York by George W Bush, who was president at the time of the attacks.

Speaking in Shanksville on Saturday at the unveiling of a memorial to the 40 victims of flight United 93, Mr Bush said the US would “never forget”.

He lauded the passengers and crew of the flight saying they had launched “the first counter-offensive in the war on terror”.

In an interview with National Geographic, he said the events of that day had changed his presidency dramatically.

“I went from being a president that was primarily focused on domestic issues, to a wartime president. Something I never anticipated nor something I ever wanted to be.”

Also on Saturday, firefighters from around the world attended a memorial service in New York’s St Patrick’s Cathedral to honour the 343 firefighters who died on 9/11 while rescuing people from the WTC towers.

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