RICHLAND, Wash.—A Department of Energy employee has been arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to the Houthis, a designated foreign terrorist organization, after federal investigators said he purchased materials associated with explosives and drones and traveled to Yemen.
Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington, was taken into custody following an FBI investigation into his activities and communications.
Federal prosecutors allege Ellaboudy used his expertise in electrical engineering to provide technical assistance involving communications and power systems that he believed would be used by the Houthis.
According to the criminal complaint, the FBI began investigating Ellaboudy after receiving information that he had purchased precursor chemicals, components and other materials commonly used in homemade explosive devices. Investigators also said he acquired parts used to construct drones and remotely operated aerial systems.
Authorities said Ellaboudy took sick leave from his Department of Energy job in December 2024 after reporting exposure to highly concentrated nitric acid, a chemical that can be used in the production of explosive materials.
In September 2025, prosecutors allege Ellaboudy traveled from Washington state to Oman using an official passport previously issued during his employment with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He then crossed into Yemen with the intention of traveling to Sanaa, the capital controlled by the Houthis.
After returning to the United States, Ellaboudy allegedly told Customs and Border Protection officers that the trip was for official government business. His Department of Energy supervisor later told investigators that Ellaboudy had no authorized government travel to the region.
During the investigation, Ellaboudy began communicating with an FBI confidential source who claimed to be working for a Houthi colonel, according to the complaint.
Prosecutors allege Ellaboudy helped test and modify solar generators and communications equipment intended for a mobile communications center in Yemen. He also allegedly provided technical guidance, schematics and diagrams showing how power and communications systems could be integrated.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said the allegations involve a U.S. government employee attempting to use specialized expertise to assist the Houthis.
The Department of Energy’s Hanford Field Office said the case didn’t involve an attempt to harm the Hanford Site or its employees and that there was no threat to the facility’s safety or security.
Ellaboudy faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted.
The FBI’s Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the case.