WASHINGTON — The Justice Department announced Thursday that a Department of Energy electrical engineer was arrested on accusations of supporting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The allegations include purchasing supplies for improvised explosive devices and drones, as well as traveling to Yemen.
Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, a resident of Richland, Washington, was taken into custody Thursday and is set to appear in court on Friday. No attorney is currently listed in court records as available to comment on his behalf.
According to the FBI, Ellaboudy intended to assist the Houthis in enhancing their communications infrastructure. He traveled to Yemen last September, where clashes between the Iran-backed rebels and Saudi-backed government forces have escalated, resulting in hundreds of fatalities and the displacement of tens of thousands. The war began in 2014 when the rebels captured the capital, Sanaa, compelling the national government to operate from exile in Saudi Arabia.
After returning to the United States, Ellaboudy allegedly informed Customs and Border Protection officials that his trip originated from Oman and involved a US government assignment to inspect defense sites. However, an FBI affidavit notes that his supervisor stated no knowledge of any international travel or of a missile inspection program Ellaboudy claimed to be part of.
The affidavit further states that Ellaboudy told FBI informants, planted by officials as part of the probe, that he needed to be smuggled across borders and hoped to establish government-level ties in the capital. He ultimately failed to reach Sanaa, according to the FBI.
Investigators reportedly initiated the probe after discovering Ellaboudy had bought precursor chemicals used in homemade bombs, including acetone and sodium bisulfate, along with drone components.
During the investigation, authorities allege Ellaboudy exchanged communications with multiple informants, one claiming to be a Houthi colonel, offering technical advice and assistance regarding communications equipment.
Ellaboudy faces charges under a statute criminalizing the provision of material support to organizations designated as foreign terrorist entities by the United States, a category that includes the Houthis.
“These allegations are so deeply disturbing that they almost defy imagination,” John Eisenberg, assistant attorney general overseeing the Justice Department’s National Security Division, stated in a written release.
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