Federal Energy Employee Arrested for Allegedly Helping Houthis
U.S. Department of Justice announced the arrest of Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, who will appear in court on Friday.
A 51-year-old former U.S. Department of Energy employee has been arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support to the Houthis, a Yemeni-based group designated as a foreign terrorist organization. Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, who previously worked at the Hanford nuclear site, was apprehended on Thursday morning in Richland, Washington, by FBI agents from the Seattle field office and a dozen other vehicles.
According to prosecutors, Ellaboudy allegedly acquired materials for explosives and drones, including precursor chemicals, components, and parts for building remotely operated aerial systems. The FBI learned of his activities after receiving information about his purchase of these materials and components. Ellaboudy had taken sick leave from his DOE job in December 2024, claiming to have been exposed to nitric acid—a chemical used in making explosives.
He then traveled to Oman and crossed into Yemen, where he began communicating with an FBI source pretending to be a Houthi "colonel" seeking communications equipment. Prosecutors say Ellaboudy allegedly betrayed the U.S. by attempting to aid the Houthis, a group that has attacked U.S. targets during the Iran war. If convicted, Ellaboudy could face up to 20 years in prison.
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