A trip overseas raised questions that investigators say were far more serious than an ordinary dispute over government travel.
Then came allegations involving explosives-related materials, drone parts and equipment intended to help an armed group abroad.
FBI agents arrested Department of Energy engineer Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington, on Thursday over alleged Houthi support.
The Justice Department says he attempted to provide material support to the Iran-backed Houthis, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
If convicted, Ellaboudy faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.
NEWS RELEASE from @FBISeattle: Department of Energy Employee Arrested in Washington State on Charges of Attempted Material Support to Houthis.
Read more about how this #FBI is preventing terrorism and protecting the homeland: https://t.co/zIZzi0aYrr pic.twitter.com/f8YAd0e3Z4
— FBI (@FBI) October 1, 2026
فيديو للحظات القبض على اشتون حامد اللبودي Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy اليوم الجمعة 2 اكتوبر 2026 ، وهو موظف في وزارة الطاقة الامريكية ومتهم بتهريب مواد كيميائية وتقنيات اتصالات وغيرها لمليشيا الحوثي ، حيث سافر الى سلطنة عمان في سبتمبر 2025 ومنها وصل الى صنعاء
فكيف وصل الى صنعاء وكيف… pic.twitter.com/9kmA8DClCK— Dr. Abdulqader Alkharraz (@AlkharrazDr) October 2, 2026
Prosecutors allege he traveled into Yemen and offered technical assistance to improve the group’s communications capabilities.
The allegations put a federal employee’s activities under scrutiny and raise questions about how his travel and purchases were detected.
Investigators began examining Ellaboudy after discovering purchases of acetone, sodium bisulfate and drone components, according to the report.
The chemicals were described as precursors associated with homemade explosives, though the reported charge concerns attempted material support.
According to the Justice Department’s account, Ellaboudy traveled from Washington state to Oman in September 2025.
He used an official passport previously issued during his work for the US Army Corps of Engineers, prosecutors said.
Authorities allege he paid approximately $1,400 to cross from Oman into Yemen with a smuggler’s help.
His reported destination was Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital, where he allegedly hoped to establish government-level connections.
He did not reach Sanaa, but authorities say the attempted journey formed part of the case.
On returning to the United States, he allegedly offered border officials a different explanation for the trip.
Ellaboudy claimed it involved a government mission concerning missile defense systems, according to the reported Justice Department allegations.
Investigators asked his Department of Energy supervisor whether official duties supported that explanation, and the response undercut it.
The supervisor said Ellaboudy had no authorized international travel and no assignment to any missile inspection program.
That gap between his alleged account at the border and his supervisor’s response raises questions about his travel claims.
Separately, Ellaboudy took sick leave in December 2024 after claiming exposure to highly concentrated nitric acid.
The Justice Department described that chemical as commonly used in constructing explosive materials, according to the report.
The report does not establish why he had the chemical or connect that leave claim to the alleged scheme.
Federal investigators later introduced confidential human sources, including one who purported to work for a Houthi “Colonel.”
Prosecutors say Ellaboudy used his engineering knowledge to test and modify solar generators and communications equipment.
The equipment was allegedly intended for a mobile communications center, a practical capability for an armed organization.
He also allegedly supplied schematics and diagrams explaining how power and communications systems could be integrated.
Authorities further allege he researched additional equipment that might strengthen the Houthis’ communications capabilities.
Those claims extend beyond the question of where a federal employee traveled.
The government has a duty to examine whether taxpayer-supported expertise or official credentials were misused in such circumstances.
The report does not say classified information was transferred or that the government suffered a specified financial loss.
At the Hanford Site, where Ellaboudy worked, officials addressed a separate and immediate concern: worker and facility safety.
“This matter did not involve an attempt to harm the Hanford Site or its workforce,” field office manager Ray Geimer said.
Geimer added that the site and its workers were never threatened, according to the Justice Department’s statement.
That assurance addresses safety at Hanford, while the alleged foreign assistance remains a national security concern.
Ellaboudy was scheduled to make his first appearance before a federal magistrate judge in Richland on Friday.
The FBI’s Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the case, according to the report, USA Journal reported.
The Department of Energy and Justice Department did not immediately respond to the outlet’s requests for comment.
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