New York: New York City on Wednesday observed the anniversary of the 1993 bombing at the original World Trade Center, marking the first attempted attack by Islamic extremists to bring down the twin towers using 1,200 pounds of explosives hidden in a rented van.
The explosion on February 26 of that year claimed six lives, including that of a pregnant woman.
Family members of the victims gathered at the Trade Center’s memorial plaza, placing flowers and reading the names of those who lost their lives in the attack.
At exactly 12:18 p.m., the time when the van detonated in the underground parking garage, a bell rang in remembrance. “We gather to pay tribute to the innocent people killed and the more than 1,000 people who were injured that day,” said Beth Hillman, president and CEO of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. She added, “It is our steadfast mission and a great privilege to preserve the history of this tragic event, to honor those individuals who died, to stand in shared grief with you, their family and friends, and share with the world their stories, the courage of first responders and the resilience of those who survived.”
Earlier in the day, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the Trade Center and lost four employees in the 1993 attack, held a memorial Mass at St. Peter’s Church in their honor.
Six individuals, including the alleged mastermind Ramzi Yousef, were convicted for their roles in the bombing, which carved out a 150-foot-wide crater in the Trade Center’s parking garage. While the site was repaired, the attacks did not stop—extremists returned on September 11, 2001, ultimately bringing down the towers and claiming nearly 3,000 lives. Yousef’s uncle, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, later identified himself as the principal architect behind 9/11.
A fountain built to commemorate the victims of the 1993 attack was lost when the towers collapsed. However, their names are now engraved on the same memorial plaza where two massive waterfalls stand in place of the fallen skyscrapers.
