‘Constantly on my mind’ – 9/11 agony endures for bereaved, 25 years on – BBC News
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#’Constantly on my mind’ – 9/11 agony endures for bereaved, 25 years on
The US government has described it as the "most egregious criminal act on American soil in modern history". But a quarter of a century later, the trial of its alleged mastermind is yet to begin and families of those killed fear that time for justice to be delivered is running out.
Tom Resta’s brother John and his wife Sylvia were among almost 3,000 people killed on 11 September 2001 when hijackers flew planes into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Virginia. Another crashed in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back.
The couple had been preparing their unborn baby’s nursery painting it with characters from Blue’s Clues. They dreamed of having a family, doting on the children of friends and relatives.
On 9/11, they were working on the 92nd floor of the north tower of the World Trade Center.
"After all this time, it still chokes me up," Resta told the BBC through tears. While 25 years have passed, he said 9/11 was "almost constantly" on his mind.
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Resta has visited Guantanamo Bay four times to watch pre-trial proceedings for alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants – a process he describes as "laborious and tedious."
A military prison was established at Guantanamo during the "war on terror" that followed 9/11, and Mohammed has now been held there for 20 years without ever being convicted. Relatives of victims enter a lottery to attend proceedings in a high-security courtroom, separated from the defendants by thick glass.
The pre-trial process has been ongoing for so long that it has been presided over by five different military judges. Last month, as the 25th anniversary approached, there was a flurry of movement – with a trial date finally set for Mohammed in June 2028.
But Resta says he’s braced for further delays, and some family members fear they may not live to see justice served.
"My father will be 98 in November, and I don’t think he expects to see it," he said. "I have a lot of relatives – aunts, uncles – that would all like to see it happen."
"But my parents in particular, I don’t think they expect to live long enough," he added.
