Washington DC(WHBL-Learfield) - Osama bin Laden – the al-Qaida leader who masterminded the 9-11 terrorist attacks – was shot-to-death in a firefight with U-S forces in Pakistan. Wisconsin House Republican Paul Ryan of Janesville called it a “momentous turning point in our nation’s on-going war on terrorism.” President Obama announced the news late last night in a dramatic White House speech. Obama said “justice has been done” after military and C-I-A operatives finally cornered the man who eluded U-S authorities for almost a decade after he ordered the hijackings of four American passenger planes. Two crashed into New York’s World Trade Center, where police officers clenched their fists, and big crowds showed up to celebrate. The other planes slammed into the Pentagon and a field in rural Pennsylvania. Over three-thousand Americans died in the attacks on September 11th of 2001. Both the president and Wisconsin’s Ryan pointed out that bin Laden’s death was the most significant achievement in defeating al-Qaida, but the job’s not done yet. Ryan said the U-S must remain vigilant in the defense of freedom-and-democracy in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other fronts. Security in the U-S is expected to be boosted to guard against possible retaliation. But Ryan said bin Laden’s death is quote, “fantastic news that Americans have spent years waiting for.”