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Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, a 51-year-old Department of Energy electrical engineer from Richland, Washington, was arrested by the FBI on charges of supporting the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. The allegations include purchasing materials for homemade explosives and drones, attempting to travel to Yemen, and communicating with alleged Houthi informants. Ellaboudy faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted under a law prohibiting support for foreign terrorist organizations.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, a 51-year-old Department of Energy employee from Richland, Washington, was arrested by the FBI on charges of attempting to provide support to the Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen. The DOJ alleges that Ellaboudy bought materials for homemade explosives and drones and attempted to improve the Houthis' communications capabilities. In September 2025, he traveled from Richland through Oman into Yemen, claiming on his return to U.S. Customs and Border Protection that his trip was part of a government mission, which his supervisor denied knowledge of.
The FBI's investigation revealed Ellaboudy used an official passport from his time in the Army Corps of Engineers for the unauthorized travel and made plans through contacts claiming to be Houthi officials to smuggle communications equipment into Yemen. Assistant Attorney General John Eisenberg described these actions as "deeply disturbing." The case highlights the potential risks posed by government employees engaging in activities that support designated foreign terrorist organizations.
Written for “DOE Employee Charged For Houthis Support” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.
A Department of Energy electrical engineer has been arrested on charges of providing support to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, including by buying materials for homemade explosives and drones and traveling to Yemen, the Justice Department said Thursday.
asserted
Department → arrest → Yemen
Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington, was arrested Thursday and is due to make his first court appearance Friday.
asserted
Ellaboudy → arrest → appearance
Court records don't list an attorney available to speak on his behalf.
asserted
records → list → behalf
The FBI says Ellaboudy had a goal of helping the Houthis improve their communications capabilities and traveled last September to Yemen, where the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces are now
that has killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands.
asserted
that → say → thousands
The conflict began in 2014 when the Iran-backed rebels took over the capital, Sanaa, forcing the country's government to settle into exile in Saudi Arabia.
asserted
rebels → begin → Arabia
Ellaboudy used a passport issued to him when he was working at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make his way to Oman, then bordering Yemen, the Justice Department said.
asserted
Department → use → Yemen
Upon his return to the United States, authorities say, Ellaboudy told Customs and Border Protection officials that he was traveling back from Oman on a work trip and was part of a U.S. government mission to inspect missile defense systems.
asserted
he → say → systems
But investigators interviewed Ellaboudy's supervisor, who reported having no knowledge of any international travel or of an Energy Department missile inspection program that Ellaboudy would have been assigned to, an FBI affidavit said.
asserted
affidavit → interview → that
Ellaboudy himself was recorded telling FBI informants, whom officials had introduced into the investigation, that he had to be smuggled into and out of Yemen and that he had hoped to reach the country's capital to make government-level connections, the affidavit says.
asserted
affidavit → record → connections
He was ultimately unable to make it to Sanaa, the FBI said.
asserted
FBI → make → Sanaa
The FBI says investigators began looking into Ellaboudy after learning that he had purchased precursor chemicals commonly involved in the construction of homemade explosive devices, including acetone and sodium bisulfate, as well as parts used for drones.
asserted
he → say → drones
During the course of the investigation, the FBI says, he communicated with multiple informants - including one who purported to be a Houthi colonel - and provided advice and assistance on communications equipment.
asserted
who → say → equipment
Ellaboudy is charged under a law that makes it a crime to provide material support to a group designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization, of which the Houthis are one.
asserted
Houthis → charge → which
"These allegations are so deeply disturbing that they almost defy imagination," John Eisenberg, the assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department's National Security Division, said in a statement.
asserted
Eisenberg → defy → statement
If convicted, Ellaboudy faces up to 20 years in prison, the Justice Department said.
asserted
Department → convict → prison
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