DOE Worker Charged With Trying to Aid Iran-Backed Houthis

A U.S. Department of Energy employee from Richland, Washington, has been charged with attempting to provide material support to the Iran-backed Houthis, according to the Department of Justice. Federal authorities arrested Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, on Thursday after an investigation led by the FBI’s Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Prosecutors allege Ellaboudy tried to use his electrical engineering expertise to help the Houthis improve mobile communications systems, obtain drone components and secure chemicals that could be used in homemade explosives. The Houthis are designated by the U.S. government as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

In a Justice Department statement, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said the allegations involve a U.S. government employee who traveled overseas and attempted to use specialized knowledge to assist the group. He also said Ellaboudy allegedly obtained materials for explosive construction and drones capable of delivering those explosives.

Court records indicate the FBI first became aware of Ellaboudy after he allegedly purchased precursor chemicals and other items commonly associated with homemade explosive devices, along with parts used to build drones. The Justice Department said that in 2024, Ellaboudy took sick leave from his Department of Energy position and reported that he had been exposed to highly concentrated nitric acid, which authorities described as a key chemical compound in explosive manufacturing.

According to prosecutors, Ellaboudy later traveled in 2025 from Washington state to Oman using an official passport tied to his previous role with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Investigators say he then crossed into Yemen. After returning to the United States, he allegedly told border officers that the trip had been authorized as official government business.

Authorities further allege that Ellaboudy communicated with an undercover FBI confidential human source who was posing as a representative of a Houthi colonel. In that interaction, investigators say he provided advice and assistance connected to the group’s operational needs.

What prosecutors say he did

According to the government, Ellaboudy tested solar generators, modified power systems, created circuit schematics and offered support related to communications infrastructure for the Houthis. Federal officials say those actions formed part of the attempted material support case now filed against him.

FBI Counterterrorism Division Assistant Director Jarod Brown said the defendant allegedly betrayed the United States by attempting to aid a designated foreign terrorist organization. Brown credited FBI personnel with detecting the alleged conduct and taking Ellaboudy into custody before the matter went further.

No threat to Hanford site, officials say

Officials emphasized that the allegations do not involve any effort to target nuclear facilities in the Richland area. Ray Geimer, manager of the Department of Energy’s Hanford Field Office, said the case did not involve an attempt to harm the Hanford Site or its workforce and that there was never a threat to the site’s safety or security.

That clarification is significant because Ellaboudy worked for the Department of Energy in a region closely associated with sensitive federal operations. Even so, the government has drawn a clear distinction between the terrorism-related allegations and any risk to local nuclear infrastructure.

If convicted, Ellaboudy faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The Justice Department said he is scheduled to make his initial appearance before a federal magistrate judge at 11 a.m. on Oct. 2 in Richland.

The case remains at the charging stage, and the allegations have not been proven in court. As with all criminal defendants, Ellaboudy is presumed innocent unless and until convicted.