25th Anniversary of the 1993 World Trade Center Attack Commemorated

The families of victims, survivors, downtown residents and city and state officials gathered at the 9/11 Memorial plaza on Monday to mark the 25th anniversary of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing with a moment of silence, the tolling of a bell and the reading of the names of the six victims of the first terror attack at the site.

The moment of silence was observed at 12:18 p.m., the time of the bombing that killed John DiGiovanni, Robert Kirkpatrick, Stephen Knapp, William Macko, Wilfredo Mercado and Monica Rodriguez Smith and her unborn child. Their names were read aloud by surviving family members.

Former New York City Mayor David Dinkins, mayor during the 1993 attack, was in attendance as well as Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan, who attended on the mayor's behalf.

"At the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, every day of the year, we remember the lives they led, and we stand with their families and friends in solidarity and shared grief," 9/11 Memorial & Museum President and CEO Alice Greenwald said. "For many of us, it is hard to believe that a quarter century has passed since that snowy winter day. The 1993 bombing was the first act of terrorism at this site. And, as we know all too well, it would not be the last."

Ceremony attendees placed roses on the victims’ names, which are inscribed together on the North Pool of the Memorial, near One World Trade Center. The six names are alongside those of the victims of the 9/11 attacks.

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum dedicated the entire month of February to commemorating the 25th anniversary of the attack with a series of special events and a special installation in the Museum that tells the story of the bombing plot, its effects on the 16-acre site and the effort to bring the perpetrators to justice. 

By 9/11 Memorial Staff