A Department of Energy engineer has been arrested on a federal terrorism-related charge after prosecutors accused him of attempting to provide technical assistance and equipment to Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement.
Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington, was arrested Thursday and charged with attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Federal prosecutors allege Ellaboudy traveled toward Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, offered engineering assistance to improve the group’s communications capabilities and later worked with people he believed were connected to the organization.
If convicted, Ellaboudy faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
The charge is an allegation, and Ellaboudy is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force.
According to federal authorities, Ellaboudy traveled from Washington state to Oman in September 2025 and attempted to continue into Yemen.
Prosecutors say he used an official passport that had previously been issued to him while he worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Ellaboudy allegedly paid approximately $1,400 for assistance crossing from Oman into Yemen and intended to travel to Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital.
Investigators allege he hoped to establish connections with officials there.
He ultimately did not reach Sanaa, according to the government’s account.
When Ellaboudy returned to the United States, prosecutors say he told Customs and Border Protection officials that his travel was connected to official U.S. government business involving missile-defense systems.
Investigators subsequently contacted his Department of Energy supervisor.
According to prosecutors, the supervisor said Ellaboudy had not been authorized to travel internationally and had no assignment involving a missile inspection program.
That discrepancy became one component of the federal investigation.
Authorities also scrutinized Ellaboudy’s purchases of chemicals and equipment.
Investigators discovered purchases involving acetone, sodium bisulfate and drone components, according to the government’s allegations.
Prosecutors described some of the materials as chemical precursors that can have applications involving homemade explosives.
However, the criminal charge announced against Ellaboudy concerns attempted material support for a foreign terrorist organization. The allegations do not establish that he actually constructed an explosive device.
Investigators also examined a December 2024 incident in which Ellaboudy reportedly took sick leave after saying he had been exposed to highly concentrated nitric acid.
Federal authorities noted that nitric acid can be used in the production of explosives.
The government’s public allegations, however, do not establish why Ellaboudy possessed or encountered the chemical, nor do they by themselves demonstrate that the sick-leave incident was part of the alleged Houthi-support scheme.
As the investigation progressed, federal authorities introduced confidential human sources whom Ellaboudy allegedly believed had connections to the Houthis.
One source purported to work for a Houthi “Colonel,” according to prosecutors.
The government alleges Ellaboudy then began using his engineering expertise to assist what he believed was an effort benefiting the organization.
He allegedly tested and modified solar generators and communications equipment intended for a mobile communications center.
Prosecutors say Ellaboudy also provided schematics and technical diagrams showing how power-generation and communications equipment could be integrated.
Authorities further allege that he researched additional equipment capable of improving the Houthis’ communications infrastructure.
Those allegations form a significant part of the government’s material-support case.
The Justice Department’s account does not allege that Ellaboudy successfully transferred classified U.S. government information to the Houthis.
Nor has the government publicly identified a specific financial loss suffered by the United States as a result of his alleged activities.
Ellaboudy’s employment with the Department of Energy adds another national-security dimension to the investigation.
He worked at the Hanford Site in Washington, one of the country’s most significant nuclear cleanup facilities.
Hanford officials stressed that investigators found no indication Ellaboudy’s alleged activities involved an attack against the facility 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.
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