The agency said in a statement the traders, currently unknown, allegedly used foreign brokerage accounts in Britain and Lebanon to purchase call option contracts through U.S.-based brokerages and on U.S.-based exchanges in the days leading up to the announcement of the acquisition.

Liberty Interactive announced a deal on April 4 that included the purchase of General Communication for $1.12 billion.

(Reporting by Washington Newsroom; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)