DOE Engineer Accused of Trying to Aid Iran-Backed Houthis
A Department of Energy engineer is facing a federal charge after prosecutors accused him of trying to provide technical assistance and equipment to Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement.
Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington, was arrested Thursday. He is charged with attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
The charge is an allegation. Ellaboudy is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
According to federal prosecutors, Ellaboudy traveled from Washington state to Oman in September 2025 and tried to continue into Yemen. He allegedly used an official passport previously issued during his employment with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, paid about $1,400 for help crossing into Yemen, and intended to reach Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital, to establish contacts with officials there. He did not reach the city, prosecutors say.
After returning to the United States, Ellaboudy allegedly told Customs and Border Protection officials that his trip concerned official government business involving missile-defense systems. Investigators later contacted his Department of Energy supervisor, who said Ellaboudy had no authorization for international travel and no assignment involving a missile-inspection program, according to prosecutors.
Federal authorities also examined Ellaboudy’s purchases of acetone, sodium bisulfate and drone components. Prosecutors described some of the materials as chemical precursors with possible applications in homemade explosives. The charge, however, concerns attempted material support for a foreign terrorist organization; the public allegations do not establish that Ellaboudy built an explosive device.
Investigators also reviewed a December 2024 incident in which Ellaboudy reportedly took sick leave after saying he had been exposed to highly concentrated nitric acid. Authorities noted that nitric acid can be used to produce explosives. The government has not publicly established why Ellaboudy possessed or encountered the chemical, or shown that the incident was part of the alleged Houthi-support effort.
As the investigation continued, federal authorities introduced confidential human sources whom Ellaboudy allegedly believed were connected to the Houthis. One source purported to work for a Houthi “Colonel,” prosecutors said.
The government alleges Ellaboudy used his engineering expertise to help what he believed was an effort benefiting the group. He allegedly tested and modified solar generators and communications equipment intended for a mobile communications center, provided schematics showing how power and communications equipment could be integrated, and researched other equipment that could improve Houthi communications infrastructure.
The Justice Department has not alleged that Ellaboudy successfully transferred classified U.S. government information to the Houthis, and it has not publicly identified a specific financial loss to the United States from his alleged activities.
Ellaboudy worked at Washington’s Hanford Site, a major nuclear cleanup facility. Hanford officials said investigators found no indication that the allegations involved a planned attack on the site or its employees.
“This matter did not involve an attempt to harm the Hanford Site or its workforce,” Hanford Field Office Manager Ray Geimer said.
Geimer said neither the facility nor its employees were threatened.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force.