Pictures from inside the Pentagon and the court yards between the buildings have been released by the FBI for the first time (Picture: FBI)

Rare images showing the indescribable horror of the 9/11 terrorist attacks have been released.

Monday marks the 16th anniversary of the harrowing day 2,996 died and more than 6,000 others were injured when two planes crashed into the World Trade Center.

Matt Hancock warns UK is at 'tipping point' for more lockdown measures

A third plane was hurled at the Pentagon, while another — United Airlines Flight 93 — smashed into a field in Pennsylvania. It was meant for another, unknown target, but passengers overpowered the terrorists.

One photo from the series released by the Department of Defense shows the Pentagon ablaze in the aftermath of the attacks.


Another shows a clock frozen at the time of the impact, and others include shots of then-President George Bush dealing with the terror.

Debris is strewn across the ground out the Pentagon (Picture: FBI)

Part of the interior was completely destroyed in the attack (Picture: FBI)

The blaze gutted out a large chunk of the Pentagon (Picture: FBI)

A gaping hole is seen in the side of the building days after the attack (Picture: FBI)

FBI officials work to collect evidence from the debris (Picture: FBI)

Debris from the plane is seen on the ground outside the Pentagon (Picture: FBI)

Today marks the 16th anniversary since 9/11 (Picture: FBI)

A flag is dropped above the place of attack (Picture: FBI)

View of damaged office on fifth floor of the Pentagon (Picture: Larry A Simmons)

Burned and melted items sit atop an office desk on the fifth floor (Picture: Larry A Simmons)

George Bush deals with the immediate aftermath of 9/11 (Picture: Eric Draper)

The Pentagon is ablaze after a plane crashed into the side (Picture: Robert Houlihan)

President George W. Bush talks with Vice President Dick Cheney, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and other advisors during meetings at the President’s Emergency Operations Center (Picture: National Archives)

An aerial view of the damage at the Pentagon two days after the attack (Picture: Cedric H. Rudisill)

Thousands of 9/11 victims’ relatives, survivors, rescuers and others are gathering at the World Trade Centre today to remember what remains the deadliest attack on American soil.



After 16 years, the quiet rhythms of commemoration have become well known customs – a recitation of all the names of the dead, moments of silence, tolling bells, and two powerful light beams that shine through the night.

Brits queue to get into bars while they can as local lockdowns hit

But each ceremony has personal touches, too. Over the years, some name-readers have added messages, ranging from the universal – ‘The things we think separate us really don’t – we’re all part of this one Earth’ – to the personal, such as ‘I love you and miss you. Go Packers!’

Last year, Judy Bram Murphy added: ‘Thank you New York for continuing to honor the victims of 9/11 and the privilege of reading their names.’ She lost her husband, Brian Joseph Murphy, in the attack.

President Donald Trump, a native New Yorker, is marking the anniversary for the first time as the country’s leader today.

A clock is frozen at the time of the attacks (Picture: Larry A Simmons)

Vice President Dick Cheney sits with National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice in the President’s Emergency Operations Center during meetings (Picture: National Archives)

Smoke rises from the site of the World Trade Center (Picture: Paul Morse)

New York National Guard soldiers from the 69th Infantry Division and New York City firefighters band together to remove rubble from ground zero at the World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan following the 9/11 terrorist attacks (Picture: National Guard)

Wearing a gas mask, a New York National Guard Soldier from the “Fighting” 69th Infantry Division pauses amid the rubble at ground zero. (Picture: National Guard)

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

He is scheduled to observe a moment of silence at around the time the first plane hit the towers. The White House has said he will be joined by First Lady Melania Trump.

Trump is also expected to take part in a 9/11 observance at the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are hosting a private observance for victims’ relatives there at 9.11am local time.

After the names are read out at that ceremony, there will be a public observance with a wreath-laying and public addresses.

Today is the 16th anniversary of the devastating attacks in New York on September 11, 2001 (Picture: Robert Giroux/Getty Images)

A firefighter breaks down after the World Trade Center buildings collapsed September 11, 2001 (Picture: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Many first responders who survived the attack in 2001 died years later of related illnesses (Picture: Getty)

Downtown New York was entirely blackened by the attack, coated in thick layers of ash (Picture: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

Memorials will be held in New York, at the Pentagon and in Shanksville to mark the sombre anniversary (Picture: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The 9/11 National Memorial at Ground Zero, New York (Picture: Getty)