Viewpoint: A day to remember

How would the U.S. respond in the face of this horrid attack which had killed thousands?

“I will never forget those vivid images of the Twin Towers on fire...” | CJ GUNTHER

Jason MoorePalma11/09/2021 09:46

It was the moment I thought the world was facing armageddon. Twenty years ago today two hijacked planes slammed into the Twin Towers in New York, within an hour of each other. I remember that I had left the office amid reports that a plane had hit one of the Towers. I was watching BBC lunchtime TV then the programme was interrupted to announce that another aircraft had hit the other Tower.

I rushed back to the office and within minutes we decided to produce a second edition. There was even security concerns in Mallorca because Real Mallorca were playing Arsenal in the Cup Winners Cup with thousands of fans around the city. I watched the TV news in horror and thought that for the first time in my lifetime we were facing meltdown. How would the U.S. respond in the face of this horrid attack which had killed thousands?

It may have been a terror outrage many thousands of miles away but this was an attack on the west. I had family in New York at the time so I was even more concerned. At the time it was said that the world would never be the same after September 11 2001.

The world did change and the war on terror was launched, which ended with the withdrawal from Afghanistan last month. I still remember those vivid photos of the Twin Towers on fire; thousands of people were murdered by an evil terrorist organisation as they went about their normal lives. It was a terrible day and one I will always remember.