The Department of Energy electrical engineer, Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, was arrested for allegedly supporting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. He faces charges for purchasing materials for explosives and drones, as well as for traveling to Yemen. The FBI began investigating him after discovering he bought precursor chemicals for explosives and communicated with informants posing as Houthis.
Ellaboudy claimed to be on a U.S. government mission upon returning from Yemen, but his supervisor denied knowledge of any such project. He is charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, as the Houthis are classified by the U.S. in this manner. John Eisenberg from the Justice Department described the allegations as “deeply disturbing.”
