In 2001, four coordinated terrorist attacks were carried out by Islamist extremist group Al-Qaeda. The terrorists flew two hijacked planes into the Twin Towers in New York and a third into the Pentagon.

A fourth plane, crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back against the hijackers. It remains the deadliest terrorist attack to date.

Sadly, not everyone who perished in the horrific attacks have been identified. Of the 2,976 who lost their lives, around 1,100 victims remain unidentified, around 40 percent.

However, thanks to advanced DNA analysis, the remains of three more victims have been confirmed, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) announced on Thursday (August 7).

The Twin Towers were struck by two planes on September 11, 2001 (Fabina Sbina/ Hugh Zareasky/Getty Images)

The three new identifications are Ryan Fitzgerald, of Floral Park, New York, Barbara Keating, of Palm Springs, California, and an adult woman whose name has not been made public at the request of her relatives.

These individuals are the 1,651st, 1,652nd, and 1,653rd victims to be positively identified and the first new identities confirmed since January 2024.

The OCME said these identifications were made possible after remains that were recovered were analysed, as well as family outreach.

Fitzgerald’s identification came about through DNA testing of remains recovered in 2002, while the remains of Keating and the unnamed woman were found in 2001.

According to an online obituary, Fitzgerald, who was 26 at the time of his death, had just begun working in the foreign currency exchange desk at Fiduciary Trust and he had just started living on his own in Manhattan.

There are still unidentified victims of the attacks (Jose Jimenez/Primera Hora/Getty Images)

Keating was a 72-year-old grandmother and was on American Airlines Flight 11 which struck the North Tower.

“The pain of losing a loved one in the September 11th terror attacks echoes across the decades, but with these three new identifications, we take a step forward in comforting the family members still aching from that day,” said New York Mayor Eric Adams in a statement.

“Nearly 25 years after the disaster at the World Trade Center, our commitment to identify the missing and return them to their loved ones stands as strong as ever,” said Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jason Graham.

“Each new identification testifies to the promise of science and sustained outreach to families despite the passage of time. We continue this work as our way of honoring the lost.”

On September 11, 2001, four coordinated terrorist attacks were carried out by Islamist extremist group al-Qaeda.

Two planes were crashed into the North and South Towers – the Twin Towers – of the World Trade Center complex in New York, a third plane was crashed into the Pentagon and a fourth into a field in western Pennsylvania, killing 2,977 people.

At the time of the attacks, a group of students at a high school in Virginia were filming a class project and the mood of the classroom can be seen to drastically change upon the young people learning about 9/11, watching the news play out in real-time on TV.

In the clip, the students can be seen joking around with each other, however, when news footage comes on informing them about the attacks, the class falls quiet.

One of the students lets out an ‘Oh my gosh.’ And another holds his head in his hands.

The attack on the Twin Towers 22 years ago is one of the most deadly terrorist attacks in history.

Back in 2001, most people learned of the devastating news together, whereas now most of us get breaking news alerts direct to our smartphones which is partly what makes this clip of dumbfounded students in their classroom learning about the horrific attack even more upsetting.

Reacting to the footage, one person explained that they hadn’t been born yet, writing: “I can’t imagine what it would [have] been like seeing it on TV.”

“The chills. This isn’t something you can forget,” said another, while a third wrote: “It felt like the world was ending!”

A fourth added: “I was in high school at that time too and remember how school ended and we were all glued to the TV. Crazy to see this.”

Another student similarly filmed the reaction of her roommate as they sat in their New York apartment and watched the scene unfolding in front of them.

A student was filmed holding his head in his hands (TikTok/ @_911_footage_)

Caroline Dries and her friend Megan were woken up by the first explosion and assumed it was a bomb that had been planted at the top of the building.

But shortly afterwards, the young women launch into panic as they see the second plane crashing into the neighbouring tower.

Speaking to CNN in 2011, Caroline – who is now a successful TV writer and producer – said: “We were kids, like we were so vulnerable and so naïve.

“My reaction was ‘there’s no way people are going to be jumping to their death’. [I] just couldn’t go there.

“I just remember feeling like I don’t know what to do, that feeling of being so vulnerable, so overwhelming.

“We ran out of the apartment, took the elevator down to the street and it was just kind of pandemonium on the street with no one knowing what was happening.”

Speaking of the significance of the clip, she said: “Sometimes I think you know it would be nice to have not filmed it. To just have run and let time kind of erase all of the details and just move on a little faster.”

If you’ve been affected by the contents of this article you can find more information and support at the VOICES Center for Resilience via their website.

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.