Somali police say that Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, one of Africa's most wanted al Qaeda operatives, has been killed in Mogadishu.
A senior national security officer said Mohammed was shot at the checkpoint in an exchange of fire with police.
The officer said Mohammed had a fake South African passport and other documents on him when he died.
A senior US official confirmed that Mohammed had been killed by Somali forces.
The official said that Mohammed’s death removes one of al-Qaeda’s most experienced planners in east Africa.
Mohammed was reputed to be the head of al-Qaeda in east Africa, and operated in Somalia, which has been without an effective central government since the overthrow of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
The United States had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the capture of the Comorian, who speaks five languages and is said to be a master of disguise, forgery and bomb making.
He is accused of playing a lead role in the 1998 embassy attacks in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, which killed 240 people.
Kenyan anti-terrorist police said they had been informed of Mohammed's killing by US sources.
Somali security said they buried Mohammed's corpse after a thorough investigation to confirm his identity.
