US Energy Department Engineer Arrested For Allegedly Aiding Houthis

Federal authorities arrested a Department of Energy electrical engineer Thursday amid allegations he attempted to assist the Iran-backed Houthis while purchasing materials associated with explosives and drones.

Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington, was charged with attempting to provide material support or resources to the Houthis, a designated foreign terrorist organization, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday. Prosecutors allege Ellaboudy traveled to Yemen and later provided technical assistance intended to improve the terrorist organization’s communications capabilities.

During a recorded conversation in October 2025, Ellaboudy allegedly said he paid approximately $1,400 to be smuggled across the Oman-Yemen border and wanted to travel to the Houthi-controlled Yemeni constitutional capital of Sanaa, according to a Casey Local report citing the FBI affidavit.

The FBI began investigating Ellaboudy after learning that he had purchased precursor chemicals commonly associated with homemade explosives, including acetone and sodium bisulfate, as well as components used in drones, according to The Associated Press.

The complaint also alleges Ellaboudy took sick leave from his government job in December 2024 after claiming he had been exposed to highly concentrated nitric acid, which the DOJ described as a chemical commonly used in constructing explosive materials.

Ellaboudy traveled from Washington state to Oman in September 2025 using an official passport previously issued to him while he worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, according to the DOJ’s Thursday press release. He allegedly crossed from Oman into Yemen intending to reach Sanaa.