Energy Dept. Engineer Busted Over Alleged Support For Iran-Backed Houthis

A Department of Energy engineer has been arrested on allegations that he attempted to provide technical support to the Iran-backed Houthis, raising serious questions about a federal employee’s overseas activities and alleged use of engineering expertise to assist a designated terrorist organization.

FBI agents arrested Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington, on Thursday. The Justice Department alleges that he sought to strengthen the Houthis’ communications capabilities through equipment modifications, technical diagrams and research.

Ellaboudy faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison if convicted of attempting to provide material support to the designated foreign terrorist organization.

The investigation encompasses an unauthorized trip to Yemen, purchases that drew investigators’ attention and subsequent interactions with confidential sources posing as intermediaries for the armed group.

According to prosecutors, Ellaboudy traveled from Washington state to Oman in September 2025 using an official passport previously issued in connection with his work for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Authorities allege that he then paid approximately $1,400 to a smuggler to cross into Yemen. His intended destination was Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital, where prosecutors say he hoped to establish government-level connections.

He did not reach the city.

Upon returning to the United States, Ellaboudy allegedly told border officials that his travels involved a government mission related to missile defense systems. Investigators subsequently contacted his Department of Energy supervisor to check that explanation.

The supervisor said Ellaboudy had neither authorization for international travel nor an assignment involving a missile inspection program, according to the Justice Department’s account.

That contradiction placed his use of official credentials and his explanation for entering Yemen under further scrutiny.

Investigators also examined purchases of acetone, sodium bisulfate and drone components. The chemicals were described in the reporting as precursors associated with homemade explosives, although the charge outlined by prosecutors concerns attempted material support.

A separate incident involved Ellaboudy taking sick leave in December 2024 after reporting exposure to highly concentrated nitric acid. The Justice Department described the substance as commonly used in constructing explosive materials.

The reported allegations do not establish why Ellaboudy possessed the chemical or explain whether that incident was connected to the alleged support effort.

The government’s case also involves confidential human sources introduced during the investigation. One purported to work for a Houthi “Colonel.”

Prosecutors allege that Ellaboudy subsequently applied his engineering knowledge to testing and modifying solar generators and communications equipment intended for a mobile communications center.

He also allegedly provided schematics and diagrams showing how power supplies and communications systems could function together, and researched additional equipment that could improve the Houthis’ capabilities.

Those allegations concern practical assistance to an armed organization, extending well beyond the initial questions about a federal employee’s travel.

The case raises accountability concerns about whether government-issued credentials or expertise held by a public employee were used to pursue unauthorized dealings abroad. The reported charges, however, do not allege that Ellaboudy transferred classified information or caused a specified financial loss to the government.

Officials at the Hanford Site, where Ellaboudy worked, separately sought to reassure employees about the safety of the facility.

“This matter did not involve an attempt to harm the Hanford Site or its workforce,” field office manager Ray Geimer said.

Geimer also said the site and its employees were never threatened, according to the Justice Department’s statement.

That assurance distinguishes the alleged effort to assist the Houthis from any threat against Ellaboudy’s workplace. The prosecution centers on his alleged foreign support activities.

Ellaboudy was scheduled to appear Friday before a federal magistrate judge in Richland. The FBI’s Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the case, according to the account reported by USA Journal.

The Department of Energy and Justice Department did not immediately respond to that outlet’s requests for comment.

The allegations remain to be proved in court. Federal prosecutors will now seek to establish that Ellaboudy’s travel, contacts and technical work amounted to an attempt to provide prohibited support to the Iran-backed organization.