New York honours 9/11 by 'rebuilding' the Twin Towers with 2,977 light drones - one for every victim

New York has honoured the victims of 9/11 by recreating the Twin Towers with 2,977 illuminated drones.

The show over New York Harbor on Wednesday night formed the outline of the towers, with one drone for each person who died in the attacks.

Titled 2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor, the display was held to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, when al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger planes and flew two of them into the Twin Towers.

Stunning footage of the display showed the sky over the Hudson River illuminated by a moving constellation of lights before the outline of the towers emerged, accompanied by recorded music.

The memorial was developed in collaboration with survivors, victims' family members and first responders to 9/11. 

Among those involved in organising the display were Brenda Berkman, a New York City Fire Department first responder, and Terry Strada, president of 9/11 Families United.

Family members of Tom Strada and Stephen Siller, who were both killed in the attacks, also helped organise the tribute, which was funded entirely through private philanthropy.

The drone display took place alongside New York's long-running Tribute in Light, which uses 88 powerful searchlights arranged in two columns to recreate the shape of the fallen towers.

New York has honoured the victims of 9/11 by recreating the Twin Towers with 2,977 light drones

The show over New York Harbor on Wednesday night formed the outline of the towers, with one drone for each person who died in the attacks

Titled 2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor, the display was held to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, when al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger planes and flew two of them into the Twin Towers

Stunning footage of the display showed the sky over the Hudson River illuminated by a moving constellation of lights before the outline of the towers emerged, accompanied by recorded music

Tribute in Light was first held as a temporary commemoration in 2002 before becoming an annual memorial organised by the Municipal Art Society of New York.

Nineteen Islamist terrorists hijacked four passenger planes on September 11, 2001, flying two into the Twin Towers and another into the Pentagon.

The fourth plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew fought back against the hijackers.

Zohran Mamdani is due to attend the city's memorial event on Friday as the city's first Muslim mayor.

The socialist Mayor has come under fire from relatives of victims and Republicans who have asked him to stay away. 

The row centres on Mr Mamdani's appointment of Ramzi Kassem as the city's chief legal counsel. The lawyer represented a convicted al-Qaeda member whose brother-in-law carried out the September 11 attacks.

Responding to the criticism, Mr Mamdani said: 'I'm proud to be the Mayor of this city. I love this city. I love this country.

'And what I want this week is there to be a focus on the families whose loved ones were stolen from them 25 years ago in the horrific act of terror of September 11th, and a focus also on the first responders who gave everything they could to this city and to the people who came together to try and help their fellow New Yorkers.'

Terry Strada, wife of Tom Strada,  said: 'For my husband, Tom, and for all the beautiful souls we lost on September 11, may these lights carry their memory upward and remind the world that even in our darkest hour, their light still shines. 

Titled 2,977 Lights Over New York Harbor, the display was held to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, when al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger planes and flew two of them into the Twin Towers

Among those involved in organising the display were Brenda Berkman, a New York City Fire Department first responder, and Terry Strada, president of 9/11 Families United

The Tribute in Light is illuminated over lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center ahead of the 25th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center on September 09, 2026

'To illuminate the sky is to remind a new generation not only of all we lost, but of who we became in the aftermath, one nation united in grief, in love, and in resolve, rising together from the ashes.'

Donald Trump will not attend the Manhattan event, the Telegraph understands. 

The New York Times reported that he wanted to deliver a speech, but organisers did not allow political speeches.

Trump will instead commemorate the anniversary at the Pentagon. JD Vance, the vice-president, will represent the White House in New York.