A federal employee entrusted with work inside America’s Department of Energy is now accused of trying to put his technical expertise at the service of an Iran-backed terrorist organization.

Federal agents arrested a 51-year-old electrical engineer from Richland, Washington, after investigators say he bought materials associated with homemade explosives and drones, traveled into Houthi-controlled Yemen and later advised people he believed were connected to the group.

The suspect, Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, worked for the Department of Energy. Prosecutors charged him with attempting to provide material support or resources to the Houthis, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization.

The FBI publicly confirmed the arrest and framed the case as a homeland-security operation:

The allegations are extraordinary because they combine access, specialized knowledge and a journey into territory controlled by a terrorist force backed by Iran.

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The Justice Department says the FBI first received information that Ellaboudy had purchased precursor chemicals, components and other materials commonly used to construct homemade explosive devices. Investigators also found purchases of parts used in drones and remotely operated aerial systems.

According to the federal complaint, Ellaboudy took sick leave in December 2024 after claiming exposure to highly concentrated nitric acid, a chemical that can be used in explosive materials. In September 2025, he allegedly traveled from Washington state to Oman using an official passport issued during an earlier job with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Authorities say he then crossed into Yemen intending to reach Sanaa, the capital controlled by the Houthis. When he returned to the United States, he allegedly told Customs and Border Protection officers that the trip was official government business.

His Department of Energy supervisor later told investigators that no such government travel had been authorized.

A current report distilled the explosives, drone and travel allegations:

The case did not end with the alleged overseas trip.

Investigators say Ellaboudy began communicating with an FBI confidential source posing as an associate of a Houthi colonel. The source told him communications equipment was being assembled for a mobile center in Yemen.

Federal prosecutors allege Ellaboudy used his electrical-engineering background to help test and modify solar generators and communications gear. He allegedly explained how the power and communications systems should work together, supplied diagrams and schematics and researched additional equipment that could strengthen Houthi capabilities.

The Department of Energy’s Hanford Field Office stressed that the alleged conduct did not involve a plot against the Hanford Site or its workers, and officials said there was no threat to that facility’s safety or security.

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That distinction matters, but it does not make the national-security allegations any less serious. A person working inside the federal government is accused of taking knowledge and credibility gained through American institutions and attempting to use them for the benefit of an armed organization aligned with Tehran.

The timeline and possible 20-year maximum sentence quickly drew wider attention:

The Associated Press reports that investigators believe Ellaboudy hoped to improve Houthi communications and make government-level connections in Sanaa. The report says he was unable to reach the capital but later offered technical assistance to FBI sources he believed were connected to the terrorist group.

Ellaboudy is scheduled to appear before a federal magistrate judge in Richland. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.

The complaint contains allegations, and Ellaboudy is presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove every element beyond a reasonable doubt. The evidence described by investigators demands a hard look at how sensitive federal workforces screen, monitor and respond to potential insider threats.

President Trump’s administration has made confronting Iran-backed terror networks a central national-security priority. This arrest shows why that mission reaches far beyond missiles fired overseas.

Hostile groups also hunt for expertise inside American institutions, where technical access and public trust become powerful weapons in the wrong hands.

The FBI’s Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the case. The Justice Department’s National Security Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington are prosecuting it.

America’s enemies are constantly looking for expertise, access and legitimacy. The federal government has an obligation to make sure they do not find those advantages inside its own workforce.

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This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

 

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