9/11 debris found in New York confirmed as wing

The section of plane wing found by surveyors last week. Picture: Getty

• Debris found near the site of the 9/11 disaster has been confirmed as a section of wing from one of the planes

• Wing section found just a few streets away from Ground Zero as police search for any trace of human remains

Surveyors found the piece of metal in a space measuring just 18ins across on Wednesday among rubbish.

The space where the debris was found. Picture: Getty

The 5ft long fragment was initially thought to be a piece of landing gear, but has since been confirmed as a part of the wing called a trailing edge flap actuation support structure.

New York police have yet to identify which of the two planes the debris came from.

The attack on the World Trade Centre, known as the Twin Towers, orchestrated by Al-Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 people.

Two planes were hijacked by terrorists who forced the aircraft to crash directly into the buildings on September 11, 2001.

Police are treating the area as a crime scene and has been sealed off, with investigators search the Lower Manhattan area surrounding the discovery in 51 Park Place and 50 Murray Street for human remains.

The area is at the site of a proposed mosque and community centre, which caused uproar among protestors who said the plan was an insult to 9/11 victims.

Though most of the rubble was cleared by rescue crews by 2002, debris from the attack has been found since.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is accused of masterminding the attacks, and faces the death penalty if convicted. He is currently being held at US detention centre Guantanamo Bay.