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The Investigation
Feds following financial leads
2001-09-23
  • (Reuters) - U.S. securities regulators said Wednesday they were ``vigorously pursuing'' leads related to financial trading possibly linked to last week's attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon by hijacked jetliners. ``We have received reports that those associated with the terrorist activities of last week may have sought to exploit our securities markets to profit from those activities,'' said Stephen Cutler, acting top enforcement officer at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in a statement. ``We are vigorously pursuing all credible leads, but at this time, we have drawn no conclusions,'' he said.

    The SEC investigation involves other federal agencies and has reached deep into Wall Street. Several companies contacted about the probe Wednesday either declined comment or referred questions to the SEC and the FBI. JPMorgan Chase & Co Inc. said it was cooperating with the probe along with other leading U.S. investment banks.

    Cutler, the SEC's top cop, said there was ``no foundation in fact'' in speculation about what the agency was looking into. He added that the agency was working closely with other law enforcement agencies and regulatory counterparts overseas. Regulators in Europe, Japan and the United States have indicated in recent days that they were looking into unusual trading activity following reports that Osama bin Laden and associates may have tried to profit from their inside knowledge of the Sept. 11 attack by playing the markets in advance.
    • Posted by:Fred Pruitt

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