Credit: Henry Ridgwell (VOA)A U.S. Department of Energy employee was arrested Thursday morning after federal prosecutors accused him of attempting to provide material support and technical assistance to the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington, was arrested on October 1 and charged in a federal criminal complaint with attempting to provide material support or resources to the Houthis.According to the U.S. Department of Justice, investigators allege Ellaboudy purchased precursor chemicals and other components commonly used to construct homemade explosives, along with parts used to build drones and remotely operated aerial systems.Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said Ellaboudy allegedly used his specialized expertise as a government employee in an effort to assist the terrorist organization.“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,” Eisenberg said.Eisenberg further alleged that Ellaboudy obtained materials that could be used in explosives and drones capable of delivering them, calling the accusations “deeply disturbing.”According to the federal complaint, the FBI first became aware of Ellaboudy after receiving information that he had purchased chemicals, components, and other materials associated with homemade explosive devices.Federal investigators allege that in December 2024, Ellaboudy took sick leave from his government job and claimed that he had been exposed to highly concentrated nitric acid. The DOJ noted that nitric acid can be used in the manufacture of explosive materials.Then, in September 2025, prosecutors say Ellaboudy used an official U.S. government passport that had previously been issued to him while he worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.Ellaboudy allegedly traveled from Richland, Washington, to Oman before using that same passport to cross into Yemen.According to the DOJ, investigators say Ellaboudy intended to travel toward Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, which is controlled by the Houthis.When Ellaboudy returned to the United States, prosecutors allege he told Customs and Border Protection officers that his overseas trip had been official government business.But Ellaboudy’s Department of Energy supervisor later told investigators that he had no authorized government travel to that region, according to the DOJ.The FBI’s investigation continued.Federal authorities say Ellaboudy eventually began communicating with an FBI confidential human source who purported to be working on behalf of a Houthi “Colonel.”The undercover source purportedly sought communications equipment that could be shipped to Yemen for use in a mobile communications center.According to prosecutors, Ellaboudy then allegedly put his electrical-engineering expertise to work.Investigators say he helped test and modify solar-power generators and communications equipment, advised on integrating power and communications systems, supplied diagrams and schematics, and researched additional equipment that could improve Houthi communications capabilities.FBI Counterterrorism Division Assistant Director Jarod Brown accused Ellaboudy of attempting to aid the terrorist organization and said the FBI detected the alleged activity before it could proceed further.The Department of Energy emphasized that investigators found no attempt to attack the Hanford nuclear site, where Ellaboudy worked.“This matter did not involve an attempt to harm the Hanford Site or its workforce, and at no time was there a threat to the safety or security of the site,” Hanford Field Office Manager Ray Geimer said.Local outlet NonStop Local Tri-Cities/Yakima reported that FBI and local law-enforcement personnel were seen conducting an operation Thursday morning in south Richland.As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January 2025 beginning the process of restoring Ansar Allah, commonly known as the Houthis, to the State Department’s Foreign Terrorist Organization list.The Biden administration had revoked the Houthis’ earlier Foreign Terrorist Organization designation in February 2021, citing concerns that the designation could worsen Yemen’s humanitarian crisis. Trump’s January 22, 2025 order directed the State Department to reconsider and pursue the designation.Secretary of State Marco Rubio formally designated Ansarallah a Foreign Terrorist Organization in February 2025, with the designation taking effect upon publication in the Federal Register on March 5, 2025.The Houthis have received support from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force and have carried out repeated missile and drone attacks in the Middle East and against commercial shipping in and around the Red Sea, according to the U.S. government.The Gateway Pundit has also continued covering the group’s activities, including a September report on an alleged Houthi drone attack toward the Mecca area in Saudi Arabia.Ellaboudy is scheduled to make his initial appearance before a federal magistrate judge in Richland on Friday, October 2, at 11:00 a.m.If convicted of attempting to provide material support to a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.The post Department of Energy Employee Arrested for Allegedly Trying to Provide Material Support to Iran-Backed Houthi Terrorists — Accused of Buying Explosive Materials and Drone Parts appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.