A Texas man accused of insider trading related to Dell Inc's planned purchase of Perot Systems Corp helped rescue two American hostages from Iran in 1979, the Wall Street Journal said on its website.

Reza Saleh, 53, has been an employee of former U.S. presidential candidate Ross Perot's businesses, and had played a key role in rescuing two Perot employees held in an Iranian jail, the Journal said.

The newspaper said Saleh led a mob that broke into the prison where the employees were being held, and helped shepherd them on a harrowing trip through Iran in their escape.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged Saleh on Wednesday with insider trading for reaping $8.64 million of illegal profit related to the $3.9 billion takeover deal. [ID:nN23422223]

A name for Saleh's lawyer was not available on the online court docket.

The Journal said Saleh did not respond to knocks on the door of his home and his attorney did not respond to requests for comment. (Reporting by Paritosh Bansal; Editing by Deepak Kannan)

Insider trading Employee