Energy Department employee charged with attempting to support Houthis

A Department of Energy employee was arrested in Washington state and charged with attempting to provide material support or resources to Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement, the Justice Department said.

Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, was arrested Thursday and scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate judge Friday. Court records did not identify an attorney representing him. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison, according to the Justice Department.

A criminal complaint alleges that Ellaboudy sought to help the Houthis improve their communications capabilities and purchased precursor chemicals commonly used in homemade explosives, along with components for drones and remotely operated aerial systems. The FBI began investigating after receiving information about those purchases.

Authorities allege that Ellaboudy traveled to Oman in September 2025 using an official passport previously issued during his employment with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, then was smuggled into Yemen. Investigators said he hoped to reach the Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa, to establish government-level contacts but was unable to do so.

After returning to the United States, Ellaboudy allegedly told border officials that the trip involved a U.S. government mission to inspect missile-defense facilities. His supervisor told investigators there was no authorized international travel or such Energy Department assignment, according to an FBI affidavit.

The complaint also says Ellaboudy communicated with FBI informants, including one posing as a Houthi colonel, and offered advice on communications equipment. The Energy Department said the alleged conduct did not target the Hanford Site or its workforce and posed no threat to the facility’s safety or security.