Pentagon market on Mideast ‘grotesque’

THE Pentagon is setting up a commodity market-style trading system in which investors would be able to bet on political and economic events in the Mideast – including the likelihood of assassinations and terrorist attacks.

But two Democratic senators said last night they wanted the project stopped before investors began registering this week.

The Pentagon office overseeing the project said it was part of a research effort “to investigate possible ways to prevent terrorist attacks”. It said there would be a re-evaluation before more money was committed.