Identification of Two Long-lost 9/11 Victims: Over Two Decades Post-Terror Attacks

Two victims who perished in the World Trade Center have been identified more than two decades after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to the New York City’s chief medical examiner’s announcement on Friday.

At the request of their families, the names of the victims, a man and a woman, are being withheld. They have now become the 1,648th and 1,649th victims to be identified since the attacks occurred.

Despite the passage of nearly 22 years, the remains of 1,104 victims (approximately 40%) have not yet been found. These victims lost their lives when al-Qaida terrorists hijacked commercial airlines and crashed them into the Twin Towers located in lower Manhattan. The attacks resulted in the destruction of the towers and the demise of over 2,700 individuals.

Dr. Jason Graham, New York City’s chief medical examiner, called the task of identifying the victims’ remains “the largest and most complex forensic investigation” in U.S. history. Over decades, investigators have utilized DNA testing to identify the tens of thousands of remains recovered from the Ground Zero disaster site. However, more than 30% of the remains are still unidentified according to the medical examiner’s office.

In a statement released on Friday, Dr. Graham emphasized the office’s commitment to return the remains of the victims to their families. The identification of the man was confirmed through DNA testing of remains recovered in 2001. Similarly, the woman’s identity was established through the testing of remains recovered in 2001, 2006, and 2013.

The announcement of these two newly identified victims comes just three days before the anniversary of the attacks. They are the first identifications made since September 2021.

On the day of the attacks, following the impact on the Twin Towers, another commercial airliner crashed into the Pentagon, resulting in the deaths of 184 individuals. Additionally, passengers on a fourth hijacked airliner fought to regain control of the plane. United Airlines Flight 93 ultimately crashed in a field outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania, claiming the lives of all 40 people on board.

The aftermath of the attacks led to the United States waging war in Afghanistan, where Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaida, had sought refuge under Taliban protection. Subsequently, the Bush administration also initiated the invasion of Iraq, despite there being no connection between Iraq and the attacks.

These actions resulted in the loss of more than 6,700 U.S. troops over the course of the wars. Bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces during a raid in Pakistan in 2011. In 2021, the Biden administration withdrew the U.S. military from Afghanistan, leading to the collapse of the U.S.-backed government in Kabul and the return of the Taliban to power.