Washington, D.C. – Federal authorities have arrested a 51‑year‑old electrical engineer from Richland, Washington, charging him with clandestine assistance to the Iran‑aligned Houthi faction in Yemen.
Undisclosed trip to Yemen
According to the Department of Justice, the suspect, identified as Ashton Hameed Elaboudi, made an unauthorized journey to Yemen in September of the previous year. An FBI affidavit states his mission was to establish contacts with Houthi operatives and help upgrade the rebel group’s communications network.
Official story unravels
Upon re‑entering the United States, Elaboudi informed Customs and Border Protection that he had returned from Oman on a work assignment, claiming participation in a U.S.‑government review of missile‑defence systems. Investigators quickly discovered that his supervisor had no record of such a deployment and that no Department of Energy program justified travel to either Yemen or Oman.
Links to Houthi‑affiliated contacts
FBI logs reveal that Elaboudi discussed covert ingress and egress routes for Yemen and expressed a desire to reach the capital, Sana’a, to meet senior Houthi figures. Although he never arrived in the city, the affidavit notes that he exchanged messages with several informants, one posing as a Houthi colonel, offering technical advice on communications equipment to enhance the rebels’ operational capacity.
Questionable equipment purchases
The probe also uncovered a series of acquisitions that could be repurposed for improvised explosive devices and drone components. Prosecutors are treating these purchases as key evidence supporting the indictment.
Federal terrorism indictment
Elaboudi now faces a federal charge of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, a violation punishable under U.S. law. He is scheduled to appear before a court, though no counsel was listed at the time of reporting. The case is in its early phases, and both the prosecution and defense are expected to contest the affidavit’s evidentiary claims.
