A Department of Energy electrical engineer has been arrested on allegations that he provided support to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, including purchasing materials for homemade explosives and drones and traveling to Yemen, the Justice Department said Thursday.
Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington, was taken into custody Thursday and is scheduled to make his first court appearance Friday. Court records do not identify an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
According to the FBI, Ellaboudy aimed to help the Houthis strengthen their communications capabilities. Investigators say he traveled to Yemen last September, as renewed fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces has killed hundreds of people and displaced tens of thousands.
The conflict dates back to 2014, when the Iran-backed rebels seized control of the capital, Sanaa, forcing Yemen’s government to operate from exile in Saudi Arabia.
After returning to the United States, authorities say, Ellaboudy told Customs and Border Protection officers that he had come back from Oman after a work trip. He allegedly claimed he had been part of a U.S. government mission inspecting missile defense systems.
However, investigators interviewed Ellaboudy’s supervisor, who said he knew of no international travel involving Ellaboudy and was unaware of any Energy Department missile inspection program to which the engineer would have been assigned, according to an FBI affidavit.
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The affidavit also says Ellaboudy was recorded speaking with FBI informants brought into the investigation. He allegedly told them that he had been smuggled into and out of Yemen and had hoped to reach the capital to establish government-level contacts.
The FBI said Ellaboudy ultimately did not reach Sanaa.
Investigators began examining Ellaboudy’s activities after learning that he had purchased precursor chemicals often used to make homemade explosives, including acetone and sodium bisulfate. They also discovered that he had bought components used in drones, the FBI said.
During the investigation, Ellaboudy communicated with several informants, including one who presented himself as a Houthi colonel. The FBI says Ellaboudy offered guidance and assistance involving communications equipment.
Ellaboudy faces charges under a federal law that prohibits providing material support to an organization designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization. The Houthis are included on that list.
“These allegations are so deeply disturbing that they almost defy imagination,” John Eisenberg, the assistant attorney general overseeing the Justice Department’s National Security Division, said in a statement.