The United States Secret Service posted and later deleted, a social media message on Wednesday that mistakenly honored the 19 hijackers involved in the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The original post, shared on X (formerly known as Twitter), commemorated all 2,996 people who died on that tragic day, a number that includes both the innocent victims and the 19 al-Qaeda terrorists responsible for the attacks.
The message, posted by the Secret Service Wednesday morning, stated, “The flag hanging in our headquarters is a solemn reminder of 9/11 and our mission’s purpose. A testament to freedom and sacrifice, it honors all 2,996 lives lost, including our own Master Special Officer Craig T. Miller & Special Agent in Charge Charles L. Friend.”
Here's What They're Not Telling You About Your Retirement
MORE NEWS: Jason Alexander Donates After Courtney Stodden Calls Out Resurfaced Controversial Sketch [WATCH]
This figure of 2,996 includes the 19 hijackers, a detail that led to swift criticism. According to 911memorial.org, 2,977 innocent people were killed in the attacks. Adding the 19 terrorists brings the total number of deaths to 2,996.
Yikes. Secret Service includes the 19 hijackers in the 9/11 death tally. There were 2,977 victims, not 2,996 https://t.co/rLxymYGDSy pic.twitter.com/7MprACsNDb
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) September 11, 2024
The Secret Service deleted the original post shortly after 3 p.m. on Wednesday. At 3:30 p.m., a corrected version was posted, replacing the number with the correct figure of 2,977 victims.
The revised post read: “This is a correction of an earlier version of this post. In the original post, we erroneously included the total number of deceased from the Sept 11 attacks, which included the hijackers. Our intent was to only honor the victims of that tragic day and we deeply apologize for the error.”
This is a correction of an earlier version of this post. In the original post, we erroneously included the total number of deceased from the Sept 11 attacks, which included the hijackers. Our intent was to only honor the victims of that tragic day and we deeply apologize for the…
— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) September 11, 2024
The original post also included a video tribute honoring Secret Service personnel who lost their lives during the attacks. Among those memorialized were Master Special Officer Craig T. Miller and Special Agent in Charge Charles L. Friend. Both men were killed in New York City on September 11, 2001.
FREE Gun Law Map: Laws Don't Pause During Social Unrest
Craig T. Miller was on temporary assignment in New York City, preparing for the upcoming United Nations General Assembly at the Secret Service Field Office in the World Trade Center’s Tower 7. However, according to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, Miller’s exact location during the attack remains unclear. Charles L. Friend also perished in the tragedy.
The Secret Service’s social media misstep is the latest in a series of high-profile incidents involving the agency.
In late July, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned just ten days after an incident in which a man shot former President Donald Trump in the ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report later in July, documenting several failures by the Secret Service during the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
In mid-August, a Secret Service agent abandoned her post while guarding Trump to breastfeed her child. This occurred about a month after a shooter nearly claimed the former president’s life. Cheatle herself remained under Secret Service protection, according to reports from RealClearPolitics.
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.
When did Ilhan Omar get the top Secret service job?
The SS is a bozo clown group of useless incompetents!
I can only imagine the judge Merchan’s daughter is in charge of also the Secret Service social media account the same way she is for several Democrat high profile operatives! Including the Kamala Harris campaign, that she worked down in 2019. No election reference at all.