Trump Highlights 9/11 Anniversary at Pennsylvania Memorial

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump visited a memorial in Pennsylvania on the occasion of the September 11 attacks, 17 years ago.

Mr. Trump gave a speech in commemoration of the passengers of the plane who would have loaded the cockpit to stop the attackers.

Ceremonies are also held at the New York City Mall on the World Trade Center site.

The most deadly foreign attack ever on US soil killed 2,996 people.

The hijackers stole aircraft in the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.

Another plane, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

It is believed that the hijackers intended to target this device at the US Congress or White House in Washington before it went down, killing the 40 people on board.

Voice recordings in the cockpit of the hijackers and telephone calls from passengers on board indicate that the passengers tried to make their way into the cockpit to regain control of the aircraft.

In his remarks on Tuesday, Trump praised "the incredible value" of the passengers and said their revolt was "the moment America defended itself".

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"On September 11, 2001, a band of brave patriots turned the tide on the enemies of our nation and joined the immortal ranks of American heroes," he said.

The president delivered a speech at the recently inaugurated 93-foot (28-m) tower of voices, with 40 wind chimes.

Mr. Trump is the third incumbent president to visit the site of the accident, 110 kilometers southeast of Pittsburgh.

Gordon Felt, president of Families of Flight 93 – whose brother Edward died on the flight – told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that it was "strange" to hear the chime ring for the first time on Sunday. of his unveiling.

Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, was among those who noted that this is the first year that Americans born after the attacks of September 11, 2001 will be old enough to enlist in the US. US Army.

During an intervention at the Pentagon, Vice President Mike Pence told members of the audience that they "should learn the lessons of September 11 and remain vigilant."

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and Mayor Bill de Blasio and his predecessors Michael Bloomberg and Rudy Giuliani attended the ceremony in New York .

Relatives of the victims read the names of the dead and moments of silence were observed at 08:46 and 09:03 to mark the moments when the passenger planes hit the two skyscrapers.