The Department of Justice announced Thursday that an employee with the Department of Energy was arrested in Richland, Washington.
Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, was charged with attempting to “provide material support” to the Houthis, an Iran-backed group in Yemen designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Department of State in 2025.
“As alleged, a U.S. government employee traveled overseas and used his specialized expertise in an attempt to aid the Houthis, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization backed by Iran,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “Additionally, Ellaboudy acquired materials for the construction of explosive material and drones capable of delivering these explosives. These allegations are so deeply disturbing that they almost defy imagination.”
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