New York united in grief and defiance

A CRAMPED, dimly lit Irish pub in downtown Manhattan had a heightened sense of comradeship as a group of off-duty firefighters sat on stools drinking beer and arguing about baseball on the eve of the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

Among the 2753 who died when the towers collapsed were 343 firefighters and 60 police officers. “It’s a big day,” said one firefighter.

The mood across New York yesterday was a mixture of defiance, sadness and edgy wariness.

Thousands of people turned out to grasp hands and form a human chain along the waterfront from the tip of Lower Manhattan, snaking north. They stood together at 8.46am to mark the moment the first hijacked plane crashed into the World Trade Center’s North Tower in a gesture of resilience, unity and remembrance.

It was one of several public and private events scheduled around the city, including a free performance by the New York Philharmonic and a memorial by the Fire Department of New York for its members who died on 11 September and those who have died from illness after working at Ground Zero.

Uptown, in the heart of the theatre district, Broadway Stars including Matthew Broderick and Brooke Shields took to the street to sing New York, New York. Choirs, wearing kilts, from Lothian and Borders and Tayside Police performed their own arrangement of Amazing Grace and the Star Spangled Banner to huge and emotional crowds in Central Park and Times Square.

In his weekly radio and internet address, President Barack Obama called for national unity as he reflected on a decade that tested America’s character.

New York was on high alert yesterday after reports of a “credible” al-Qaeda threat.

Throughout the city, vehicles were being stopped and searched and their drivers questioned. Police watchtowers were set up, radiation detection boats patrolled the waters around Manhattan and thousands of police officers were on the streets.

But the atmosphere wasn’t all sombre. “The reception has been incredible. NYPD officers are particularly liking it, often showing real emotion,” said Chief Inspector Andrew Russel, who led the Scottish choirs.

Commemorative events also took place in Washington, where hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, killing 184 people. A wreath laying ceremony at the spot where the plane hit was attended by former president George W Bush and his wife, Laura.

In rural Pennsylvania, the 40 passengers and crew who fought back against their hijackers aboard Flight 93 were honoured for their heroism in a ceremony attended by Bush, Vice President Joe Biden and former president Bill Clinton, along with relatives of the passengers and crew.

Back in New York, a city known for its feisty patriotism, the Stars and Stripes were everywhere, hanging in corner stores, from skyscrapers and apartment blocks. Buildings around the city were bathed in red, white and blue light. Last night, The Tribute in Light, two huge vertical beams of light shone into the night sky where the Twin Towers once stood.

Across the street, white remembrance ribbons tied to the railings of St Paul’s Chapel fluttered in the breeze. A spiritual focus for the people of New York since the 18th century, St Paul’s became a symbol of resilience in the face of violence when it remained miraculously undamaged after the 9/11 attacks, despite being only a stone’s throw from where the towers fell. Visitors from near and far have scrawled personal messages of sorrow, condolence and hope on ribbons.

Among those reading the messages was police officer Cindy Mahoney, from Durham, Canada. “I’ve never been to New York before. To be here this weekend is unreal. It’s overwhelming,” she said. St Paul’s Chapel has been the venue for a week-long programme of services, prayer meetings and events to mark the anniversary, drawing huge crowds of New Yorkers and camera-toting tourists.

Yesterday, St Paul’s held a service to honour the emergency workers, recovery workers and 9/11 volunteer community, with the Chapel Choir singing songs including Let Your Little Light Shine.

In the aftermath of the attacks, the chapel offered recovery workers round-the-clock care, food, clothing and a place to rest. A decade on, it planned to keep its doors open throughout last night. “Now that there’s been this bomb alert, people may stay away this weekend or they may all decide to come to church,” said retired social worker and St Paul’s volunteer Vincent Norman.

Despite a heavy police presence, the mood was upbeat in Times Square, with tourists shopping, eating and taking photographs as they do every other day of the year. But security was everywhere. Officers from the counter-terrorism squad were deployed to the NYPD’s Times Square kiosk. Road blocks were set up, and police officers pulled drivers over to inspect their vehicles, mindful of the thwarted plot to detonate a car bomb in the neon-lit “crossroads of the world” in 2010.

At the entrance to the Times Square Subway, police stopped pedestrians and searched their bags.

Car registration plates coming in and out of the area were monitored.

Undeterred by the high level of security, the queue of tourists waiting to visit Madame Tussauds snaked all the way along 42nd Street. “I’ve come here for a long weekend of sightseeing and that’s what I plan to do,” said Su-Ellen Lucas, from South Carolina.

It was a view shared by many visitors, though anecdotal evidence suggests that hotel reservations were down this weekend compared with previous years.

Police Commissioner Kelly said: “There is no doubt that New York is safer now than it was 10 years ago, but there are no guarantees. We don’t know what we don’t know and we are doing everything that I believe we can do to protect the city, but it is a dangerous world.”

While some will undoubtedly lie low today, midtown resident Evangeline Ruben said: “Our thoughts are with the families of all our fallen heroes but we are New Yorkers, we don’t cower indoors, hiding from something that might never happen.”