Probe launched into pre-attack selling of shares

The US Government is investigating trading in shares of 38 companies, including major airlines, cruise lines, General Motors and Raytheon, to determine if people used advance knowledge of the terror attacks to profit.

The Securities and Exchange Commission asked brokerage and investment firms in the United States and Canada to review their records for trading in the stocks to find any unusual patterns from August 27 to September 11, the day hijackers slammed planes into the World Trade Centre’s towers and the Pentagon.