Energy Department Engineer Accused of Aiding Houthi Rebels
A Department of Energy employee faces federal charges for allegedly providing support to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
WASHINGTON -- A Department of Energy electrical engineer has been arrested on charges of providing support to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, including by purchasing materials for homemade explosives and drones and traveling to Yemen, the Justice Department announced Thursday.
Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington, was arrested on Thursday and is awaiting his initial court appearance. Federal prosecutors allege that Ellaboudy aimed to help the Houthis enhance their communications capabilities.
According to an FBI affidavit, Ellaboudy traveled to Yemen in September. Upon his return to the United States, he told Customs and Border Protection officials that he was returning from Oman for a work trip related to inspecting defense facilities. However, investigators interviewed Ellaboudy's supervisor, who stated he had no knowledge of any international travel or of an Energy Department missile inspection program that Ellaboudy might have been involved in.
Recordings indicated that Ellaboudy told FBI informants that he had to be smuggled into and out of Yemen and had hoped to reach the country's capital to establish government-level connections, though he was ultimately unable to reach Sanaa, the FBI stated.
The FBI initiated its investigation after learning that Ellaboudy had purchased precursor chemicals commonly used in homemade explosive devices, such as acetone and sodium bisulfate, along with parts for drones. During the investigation, he communicated with informants, including one posing as a Houthi colonel, and offered advice and assistance regarding communications equipment.
Ellaboudy is charged under a law that criminalizes providing material support to groups designated by the U.S. as foreign terrorist organizations, a designation that includes the Houthis.
"These allegations are so deeply disturbing that they almost defy imagination," John Eisenberg, an assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department's National Security Division, said in a statement.