An electrical engineer from the Department of Energy has been arrested for allegedly aiding the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels by purchasing materials for homemade explosives and drones, as well as traveling to Yemen. This was announced by the Justice Department on Thursday.
Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, from Richland, Washington, was taken into custody on Thursday and is scheduled for his first court appearance on Friday. There’s no attorney listed in the court records to speak on his behalf.
The FBI claims that Ellaboudy aimed to assist the Houthis in enhancing their communication systems and traveled to Yemen last September. Currently, the Houthis are involved in a violent conflict with Saudi-backed government forces, leading to numerous casualties and displacing many residents.
The conflict began in 2014 when the Iran-supported rebels captured the capital, Sanaa, forcing the country’s government into exile in Saudi Arabia.
Upon returning to the U.S., authorities state that Ellaboudy told Customs and Border Protection officials that he was coming back from a work trip in Oman, claiming it was part of a government mission to inspect missile defense systems.
However, investigators spoke with his supervisor, who reported no awareness of any international travel or associated Energy Department missile inspection program that Ellaboudy might have been involved with, according to an FBI affidavit.
Furthermore, Ellaboudy was recorded speaking to FBI informants, whom officials had planted in the investigation, revealing that he needed to be smuggled into and out of Yemen. He also expressed a desire to reach the capital to make connections at the government level.
Unfortunately for Ellaboudy, he reportedly was unable to reach Sanaa, as noted by the FBI.
The FBI began investigating him after discovering he had purchased precursor chemicals commonly used in the making of homemade explosives, such as acetone and sodium bisulfate, alongside parts meant for drones.
During the investigation, the FBI noted that he had communicated with various informants, including one who falsely claimed to be a Houthi colonel, providing them with advice and support on communications equipment.
Ellaboudy is facing charges under a law prohibiting material support to groups classified by the U.S. as foreign terrorist organizations, which includes the Houthis.
“These allegations are so deeply disturbing that they almost defy imagination,” commented John Eisenberg, the assistant attorney general overseeing the Justice Department’s National Security Division, in a statement.
