The Aporia · FBI arrests Energy Department employee on charge of trying to support Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen

The FBI arrested Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, a 51-year-old electrical engineer at the Department of Energy from Richland, Washington, on charges related to attempting to support Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. Ellaboudy is accused of purchasing materials for explosives and drones, traveling to Yemen under false pretenses, and communicating with alleged Houthi contacts to provide advice on communications equipment. He was arrested on October 1, 2026, and faces charges under a law that prohibits providing material support to foreign terrorist organizations.

Written by AI on 2026-10-03, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

Story summary

Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, a 51-year-old Department of Energy employee from Richland, Washington, was arrested by the FBI on charges of attempting to provide support to the Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group in Yemen. The DOJ alleges that Ellaboudy bought materials for homemade explosives and drones and attempted to improve the Houthis' communications capabilities. In September 2025, he traveled from Richland through Oman into Yemen, claiming on his return to U.S. Customs and Border Protection that his trip was part of a government mission, which his supervisor denied knowledge of.

The FBI's investigation revealed Ellaboudy used an official passport from his time in the Army Corps of Engineers for the unauthorized travel and made plans through contacts claiming to be Houthi officials to smuggle communications equipment into Yemen. Assistant Attorney General John Eisenberg described these actions as "deeply disturbing." The case highlights the potential risks posed by government employees engaging in activities that support designated foreign terrorist organizations.

Written for “DOE Employee Charged For Houthis Support” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.

📰 DOE Employee Charged For Houthis Support

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The FBI says Ellaboudy had a goal of helping the Houthis improve their communications capabilities and traveled last September to Yemen, where the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces are now engaged in renewed violence that has killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-03

🔮 But investigators interviewed Ellaboudy's supervisor, who reported having no knowledge of any international travel or of an Energy Department missile inspection program that Ellaboudy would have been assigned to, an FBI affidavit said.

2026-10-03 · The Hindu

FBI arrests Energy Department employee on charge of trying to support Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen · assertive framing

A Department of Energy electrical engineer has been arrested on charges of providing support to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, including by buying materials for homemade explosives and drones and travelling to Yemen, the Justice Department said on Thursday (October 1, 2026). asserted

Department → arrest → Thursday

Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington, was arrested on Thursday (October 1, 2026) and is due to make his first court appearance Friday. asserted

Ellaboudy → arrest → appearance

Court records do not list an attorney available to speak on his behalf. asserted

records → list → behalf

that → say → thousands

The conflict began in 2014 when the Iran-backed rebels took over the capital, Sanaa, forcing the country's government to settle into exile in Saudi Arabia. asserted

rebels → begin → Arabia

Upon his return to the United States, authorities say, Ellaboudy told Customs and Border Protection officials that he was traveling back from Oman on a work trip and was part of a US government mission to inspect missile defense systems. asserted

he → say → systems

But investigators interviewed Ellaboudy's supervisor, who reported having no knowledge of any international travel or of an Energy Department missile inspection program that Ellaboudy would have been assigned to, an FBI affidavit said. asserted

affidavit → interview → that

Ellaboudy himself was recorded telling FBI informants, whom officials had introduced into the investigation, that he had to be smuggled into and out of Yemen and that he had hoped to reach the country's capital to make government-level connections, the affidavit says. asserted

affidavit → record → connections

He was ultimately unable to make it to Sanaa, the FBI said. asserted

FBI → make → Sanaa

The FBI says investigators began looking into Ellaboudy after learning that he had purchased precursor chemicals commonly involved in the construction of homemade explosive devices, including acetone and sodium bisulfate, as well as parts used for drones. asserted

he → say → drones

During the course of the investigation, the FBI says, he communicated with multiple informants — including one who purported to be a Houthi colonel — and provided advice and assistance on communications equipment. asserted

who → say → equipment

Ellaboudy is charged under a law that makes it a crime to provide material support to a group designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization, of which the Houthis are one. asserted

Houthis → charge → which

“These allegations are so deeply disturbing that they almost defy imagination,” John Eisenberg, the assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department's National Security Division, said in a statement. asserted

Eisenberg → defy → statement

FBI arrests Energy Department employee on charge of trying to support Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen

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