FBI Arrests Energy Employee for Allegedly Aiding Houthi Rebels
FBI Arrests Energy Employee for Allegedly Aiding Houthi Rebels
A Department of Energy engineer faces serious charges for allegedly providing material support to Iran-backed Houthi rebels, including travel to Yemen and purchasing bomb-making materials. Read more on this national secu
A shocking development has unfolded as the FBI announced the arrest of a Department of Energy electrical engineer, Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, from Richland, Washington. He faces serious charges of attempting to provide material support to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
According to the Justice Department, Ellaboudy's alleged activities included purchasing materials for homemade explosives and drones.
Disturbingly, he also reportedly traveled to Yemen last September, aiming to help the Houthis improve their communications capabilities.
The conflict in Yemen, which began in 2014, has seen the Houthis clash with Saudi-backed government forces, leading to widespread violence and displacement.
Upon his return to the U.S., authorities say Ellaboudy claimed to Customs and Border Protection officials that he was on a work trip from Oman, part of a U.S. government mission to inspect defense facilities. However, investigators found discrepancies when speaking with his supervisor, who had no knowledge of such international travel or an Energy Department missile inspection program.
Further investigations revealed Ellaboudy was recorded telling FBI informants that he had to be smuggled into and out of Yemen. He reportedly hoped to reach the country's capital, Sanaa, to establish government-level connections with the Houthis, though he was ultimately unsuccessful.
The FBI's inquiry into Ellaboudy began after discovering his purchases of precursor chemicals commonly used in homemade explosive devices, such as acetone and sodium bisulfate, along with drone parts. Throughout the investigation, he allegedly communicated with multiple informants, including one who posed as a Houthi colonel, offering advice and assistance on communications equipment.
The charges against Ellaboudy fall under a law that prohibits providing material support to groups designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the United States, a designation that applies to the Houthi rebels. John Eisenberg, an assistant attorney general with the Justice Department's National Security Division, described the allegations as "so deeply disturbing that they almost defy imagination." This arrest highlights ongoing concerns about individuals attempting to aid designated foreign terrorist organizations.
