FBI Arrests DOE Worker at Hanford Nuclear Site Over Alleged Houthi Support
A Department of Energy employee was taken into custody by the FBI on Thursday at the Hanford nuclear site in Washington state, accused of trying to assist the Houthi movement in Yemen, the Justice Department has said.
Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, who lives in Richland, Washington, was charged with attempting to provide material support or resources to the Houthis. According to the department, he sought to help the group boost its communications capabilities, bought materials for making homemade explosives and drones, and even made a trip to Yemen.
Should he be convicted, Ellaboudy could face a prison term of up to 20 years.
In a statement, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said: "Ellaboudy acquired materials for the construction of explosive material and drones capable of delivering these explosives." He added: "These allegations are so deeply disturbing that they almost defy imagination."
The FBI opened its inquiry into Ellaboudy after learning that he had bought precursor chemicals, components and other items typically used to build improvised explosive devices. The investigation also uncovered that he had purchased parts for constructing drones and remotely operated aerial systems.
Court documents cited by the Justice Department allege that in December 2024 Ellaboudy took sick leave from his job, saying he had been exposed to highly concentrated nitric acid, a chemical often used in making explosives.
Then, in September 2025, Ellaboudy reportedly used an official passport issued to him during his previous employment with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to travel from Richland to Oman, from where he crossed into Yemen. His alleged aim was to reach Sanaa, the Yemeni capital controlled by the Houthis.
After coming back to the United States, Ellaboudy informed U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers that he had been abroad on official government business, even though his supervisor at the Department of Energy stated that he had no authorized government travel to that region.
During the FBI's investigation, Ellaboudy started communicating with a bureau source who claimed to be working for a Houthi "Colonel" to obtain communications equipment destined for Yemen for a mobile communications center.
According to the department, Ellaboudy "provided expert advice and assistance, based upon his background in electrical engineering" by helping the source test and modify solar power generators and communication equipment.
The department further stated: "Additionally, Ellaboudy provided guidance on how the power systems and communication system integrated, provided schematics and diagrams for the proper setup of the systems, and conducted research and provided guidance on other equipment that could be acquired to enhance the communications equipment of the Houthis."
The Houthis, an Iranian proxy, seized several towns and islands along Yemen's western coast last month, areas that are key to controlling the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
While the rebels have reportedly assured the Trump administration that they will not attack U.S. ships in the Red Sea, they have launched drones and ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia, leading the kingdom to request that President Trump carry out strikes on the Houthis. Trump has so far declined such requests.
Hanford was originally set up in the 1940s for the Manhattan Project and is now the focus of a lengthy and expensive nuclear cleanup. The site contains nearly 200 tanks holding 57 million gallons of high-level nuclear waste from weapons production.
The Department of Energy emphasized that Ellaboudy did not try to harm the Hanford site or its workers, and that there was never any danger to the safety or security of the facility.
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