DOE Engineer Arrested For Allegedly Aiding Iran-Backed Houthi Rebels
FBI agents arrested Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, a Department of Energy electrical engineer from Richland, Washington.[1] The arrest came on Thursday, October 1, 2026, after investigators say he sought to aid the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.[1] He is charged with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.[1]
Prosecutors allege Ellaboudy bought acetone, sodium bisulfate and drone parts and that he traveled to Yemen in September 2025 to assist the Houthi movement.[1] An FBI affidavit says he used a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers passport and misrepresented the trip to Customs and Border Protection as an official missile-defense mission.[1] The affidavit also says he discussed being smuggled into Yemen with FBI informants.[1]
In September 2025, DOJ says Ellaboudy traveled to Yemen and later drew the attention of federal investigators.[1] He worked as an electrical engineer for the Department of Energy in Richland, and federal authorities say their case rests on the affidavit and the alleged purchases and communications detailed there.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Thursday, October 1, 2026, FBI agents arrested Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, a Department of Energy electrical engineer from Richland, Washington.
- DOJ alleges Ellaboudy bought acetone, sodium bisulfate and drone parts and traveled in September 2025 to Yemen to assist the Iranian-backed Houthi movement.
- An FBI affidavit says Ellaboudy used a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers passport, misrepresented his trip to CBP as an official missile-defense mission, and discussed being smuggled into Yemen with FBI informants.
- Ellaboudy is charged with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
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