Timed to coincide with the muslim holiday of Id al-Fitr celebrating the end of Ramadan, the first of the 10-01 attacks was in Boston, and set the pattern for the attacks that would be repeated in five other American cities over the next two hours.

Sometime before noon EST the five members of the Boston terrorist cell dispersed throughout the city, dressed as college students, to various targets including City Hall, the Center Plaza headquarters of the FBI's Boston field office, and numerous popular tourist sites such as the Boston Aquarium. At each of their targets the terrorists placed their Radiological Incindiary Devices (R.I.D.) and rapidly moved on to their next target.

The R.I.D.s were remarkably simple for all the chaos and destruction they caused. The devices looked like red bricks with a single small nail protruding from one end. The 'bricks' were simply blocks of thermite, with plaster of paris used as a binding agent, the true danger came from the radioactive cesium chloride mixed in with the thermite. The trigger mechanism for the device was concealed within the brick and consisted simply of a small balloon filled with glycerine, and a powdered miture of [...removed...] and [...removed...]. When the nail was pressed into the brick, it ruptured the glycerine balloon allowing the liquid to mix with the [...removed...]. It is estimated that the agent had 15 seconds to a minute to leave the scene before the chemical reaction ignited the thermite. Most of the devices were concealed in fast food bags and were tossed in trash cans or left in plain sight, arousing no suspicion until they violently ignited releasing a brilliant purple-blue flame and a thick cloud of smoke containing vaporized radioactive cesium chloride. The intense heat of the thermite reaction meant that any attempts to extinguish the device were futile. Pouring water on the burning device resulted only in an explosive reaction.

A typical RID used in the 10-01 attacks, recovered from a trash can outside the New York Stock Exchange.

In all, the nationwide attacks used 187 of these devices containing, in total, over 300 grams of radioactive cesium chloride. There were no immediate casualties from the R.I.D.s themelves and only a few injuries, but the devices were only a prelude for the carnage to come. The terrorists methodically worked their way towards the final target- in Boston the final target was Faneuil Hall, a popular historic tourist attraction.

R.I.D.s were placed throughout Faneuil Hall leading to its evacuation. The terrorists, now wearing explosive vests, mingled with the crowd of the evacuated, and waited for the first responders, and more importantly the press, to arrive. When they blew themelves up in the crowd it was captured live on TV. This pattern was roughly repeated in all the targeted cities, with the highest immediate death toll, 375, in Los Angeles.

Breakdown, by city, of targets and immediate casualties.

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It was later determined that the radioactive cesium chloride originated from the Production Association Mayak in Chelyabinsk, Russia, and was sold, through the U.K. company REVISS, to the Turkish based Gama Industrial Plants Manufacturing and Erection, Inc., ostensibly for use in x-ray illuminators used for checking weld integrity. The cesium was then shipped under false label, without GAMA's knowledge, to a worksite in Azerbaijan, the trail was then lost.

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In addition to the RID attacks, the Atlanta cell also sent incindiaries with pressure triggers via air-mail. The resulting in-air fires resulted in the downing of five transport planes and two passenger planes, prompting a nationwide shutdown of all air traffic.

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