New Delhi: A Muslims were heard repeatedly chanting “Allahu Akbar” outside New York City Hall on September 11 as the United States marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks. The chants came as ceremonies were being held to commemorate the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks.
The Arabic expression “Allahu Akbar” translates to “God is greater”. The chanting outside City Hall occurred amid an emotionally charged protest, with a rallying crowd holding a sign reading “deport all Muslims”. Muslims repeatedly shouted the expression as demonstrators gathered outside the New York City government building.
The incident took place on the same day as the 25th-anniversary commemorations of the attacks that killed at least 2,977 people. The protests and chanting added to a tense atmosphere surrounding the anniversary, with competing demonstrations taking place as New York observed the solemn occasion.
Tensions surround 25th-anniversary commemorations
The confrontation outside City Hall came against the backdrop of a wider dispute involving New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and former mayor Rudy Giuliani. Earlier on September 11, the two were seen shaking hands outside the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum after a tense public spat over air quality at Ground Zero.
Giuliani had claimed that it “offended” him that Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, would attend the 25th-anniversary service honouring those who died in the terror attacks. The dispute followed the release of 170,000 pages of confidential 9/11 records by Mamdani days before the ceremony. He publicly accused former city leaders of “lying” about air quality at Ground Zero after the World Trade Center towers collapsed.
HAPPENING NOW: Man yelling “allahu akbar” outside NYC City Hall triggers Jake Lang crowd. @choeshow|@TPUSA pic.twitter.com/p8e6iN0AXL
— FRONTLINES TPUSA (@FrontlinesTPUSA) September 11, 2026
The September 11, 2026, commemorations marked 25 years since al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger planes on September 11, 2001. Two of the aircraft were flown into the World Trade Center in New York, while another struck the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Passengers and crew aboard the fourth aircraft fought back against the hijackers before the plane crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. At least 2,977 people died as a result of the attacks.
President Donald Trump did not attend the memorial service in Manhattan on September 11, 2026. Instead, he delivered a speech at the Pentagon. Trump had wanted to give remarks at the museum in Manhattan, and his team had made advance visits, but he did not do so after he was not allowed to make a speech there.
The scenes outside City Hall unfolded as New York commemorated the deadliest terrorist attack on US soil, with the “Allahu Akbar” chants and the “deport all Muslims” sign becoming part of a heated confrontation during the anniversary observances.
