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Remembrance services are to be held in the United States to mark the eighth anniversary of the hijacked plane attacks of 11 September 2001. Nearly 3,000 people died when the four planes crashed in New York, at the Pentagon and in a Pennsylvania field. President Barack Obama will speak at the Pentagon site and Americans have been encouraged to contribute to a national day of service. US soldiers in Afghanistan completed a 9.11km (5.5 mile) run to mark the day. Traditional ceremonies including moments of silence and the reading of the names of the victims will take place at the sites of the attacks. President Obama will join defence secretary Robert Gates at the Pentagon, where 184 people died, to meet members of victims' families and lay a wreath.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the president would "speak about what the day means and the sacrifices of thousands, not just at the Pentagon, but in Pennsylvania and certainly and most obviously in New York". On Thursday, Mr Obama issued a statement urging Americans to take part in community service while also vowing to "apprehend all those who perpetrated these heinous crimes, seek justice for those who were killed, and defend against all threats to our national security". Vice-President Joe Biden will attend the New York ceremony. There will be four moments of silence there - one each for the times the two planes crashed into the World Trade Center towers and for the collapse of the buildings.
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