Icon: enlarge
Donald Trump with First Lady Melania
Photo: JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS
US President Donald Trump and his Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden held separate events to commemorate the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Trump attended a memorial service in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Biden attended a memorial service in New York, then also traveled to Shanksville.
However, the competitors did not meet there.
In Shanksville, the fourth plane was crashed by Islamist terrorists from the Al-Qaeda network after the cockpit with the hijackers was stormed by the passengers.
Previously, two more aircraft had been directed into the World Trade Center in New York and another into the Pentagon in Washington.
The President and First Lady Melania Trump listened in silence in Shanksville as the names of the 40 passengers and crew members killed were read out.
Icon: enlarge
Joe Biden with his wife Jill in New York
Photo: CARLO ALLEGRI / REUTERS
Later in his speech, Trump thanked those killed for their "sacrifice".
It also honored first responders and members of the military who fought to "preserve our freedom" in subsequent wars under ex-President George W. Bush.
That morning, Biden attended a memorial service in Manhattan, New York, for the nearly 3,000 victims of the World Trade Center attacks.
Trump was represented by Vice President Mike Pence.
Neither Biden nor Pence made a speech.
The focus of the event at the "Ground Zero" memorial is traditionally the victims' relatives.
Pennsylvania is known as the "swing state"
The fact that both Trump and Biden were present in Shanksville could also have been for electoral reasons.
The state of Pennsylvania is known as the "Swing State".
Five years ago, Trump won here by just one percentage point - the Democrats are hoping to win Pennsylvania back.
Classic campaign events were not held by either Trump or Biden.
Icon: The mirror
bah / AP / AFP