2 More 9/11 Victims Identified Via New DNA Method 22 Years After Terror Attack

The authorities confirmed the identification of the remains of a man and a woman, whose names were withheld by city officials.

The remains of two people who died in the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center have been identified. The authorities confirmed the identification of the remains of a man and a woman. Their names were withheld by city officials at the request of their families, as per the news agency AP. This comes ahead of the 22nd anniversary of the hijacked plane attack that claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people in Lower Manhattan.

New York City’s medical examiner has now been able to link the remains of 1,649 World Trade Center victims. The process relies on leading-edge DNA sequencing techniques to test body fragments recovered in the rubble.

According to the officials, advancements in sequencing technology, which include increased test sensitivity and faster turnaround times, have allowed officials to identify remains that tested negative for identifiable DNA for decades. A total of 2,753 people died in the attack when two hijacked civilian airliners crashed into New York's Twin Towers.

"We hope these new identifications can bring some measure of comfort to the families of these victims, and the ongoing efforts by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner attest to the city’s unwavering commitment to reunite all the World Trade Center victims with their loved ones," Mayor Eric Adams said, as per a statement released late Friday, as quoted by AFP.

At least 1,104 victims are still unidentified. The previous two identifications were made in 2021.   

Meanwhile, a group of US lawmakers, including Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, has introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives to call out the hatred, xenophobia, and racism that plagued Arab, Muslim, South Asian and Sikh communities across America following the 9/11 terror attack, as reported by PTI.

The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people.

Arab, Muslim, Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Sikh communities have long experienced discrimination and violence in the US, which intensified after the attacks. Just during the first month after the attack, community organisations documented 945 incidents of bias and hate against Americans perceived to be of Middle Eastern or South Asian descent.

Several organisations like the Muslim Justice League; The Sikh Coalition and the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) have endorsed the resolution.