A U.S. flag that mysteriously turned up in Everett in 2014 has now been identified as the original iconic flag that was raised by firefighters above the site of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.
The extraordinary finding comes after a two-year investigation spearheaded by the Everett police, with assistance from an entire cast of forensic experts in a variety of specialties.
Exactly how the flag wound up in Everett 13 years after the 9/11 attacks remains something of a mystery, but experts are reasonably certain it is the original ground zero flag that became an iconic symbol for the nation. The flag disappeared from ground zero sometime during the site cleanup and for years was thought to be lost.
“Ultimately, our detectives concluded that there was enough compelling evidence to determine that this was likely the ground zero flag,” said Everett Police Chief Dan Templeman.
The police investigation began in November 2014, when a man dropped off a flag at Everett Fire Station No. 1, claiming that it was the original flag raised by three firefighters above the smoking ruins of the World Trade Center.