TWENTY years ago the city of Carlisle paid its respects following the September 11 attacks in New York.

Nearly 3,000 people died in the tragedy after four planes were highjacked.

The events sent shockwaves around the world, with many still remembering exactly where they were when the event took place.

This was also true in Carlisle, where residents had several ways of paying their respects.

The Union Jack was flown at half mast and a silence was held at Cumberland Infirmary.

Police, fire and ambulance crews met to observe a three-minute silence.

Carlisle city centre ground to a halt as members of the public joined with the silence.

St Cuthbert's Church, on Blackfriar Street, also observed the silence and held a memorial service.

Local Muslims paid their respects by holding a memorial prayer service.

The September 11 attacks remain the biggest terrorist attack which has ever taken place.

The four co-ordinated attacks were carried out by militant Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda.

In the morning, four commercial airliners travelling from the northeastern United States were hijacked mid-flight by 19 terrorists.

The first plane was flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center Complex in Lower Manhattan at 8:46am.

Seventeen minutes later the South Tower was hit by another plane.

Both 110-story towers collapsed within and hour and 42 minutes.

A third flight crashed into the west side of the headquarters of the American military, the Pentagon, at 9:37am.

The fourth flight crashed near Shanksville in Pennsylvania after passengers tried to regain control from the terrorists.

It was aimed for Washington DC.

The attack was claimed by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

It led to the invasion of Afghanistan and deposing of the Taliban government.

It is only in the last month that Western nations withdrew troops from Afghanistan, with the Taliban retaking control.