Al Qaeda Leader Killed in Firefight; Body in U.S. Custody

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden—who organized the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and four commercial airplanes—was killed in Pakistan in a firefight with U.S. troops, President Obama announced Sunday night.

The September 11 attacks resulted in the deaths of at least two Nyackers, one Piermont resident and one Nyack High School graduate living in Manhattan.

"On nights like this one, we can say to families who lost loves ones to al Qaeda's terror: justice has been done," Obama said.

"[Sunday], at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan," he continued. "A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body."

Reports note he died from a gunshot wound to the head. Three other men traveling with bin Laden were also killed; one may have been his oldest son.

Thousands of Americans are gathering near the White House,  Times Square and Ground Zero to celebrate the victory. The Huffington Post is live blogging new developments here.

Welles Crowther, who graduated Nyack High School in 1995, passed away in the attacks. Crowther worked with an investment banking firm in the World Trade Center. (Read more about his story .)

The U.S. State Department is warning that there may be a greater risk of anti-American violence following bin Laden's death.