Washington, D.C. – Federal authorities have taken into custody a 51‑year‑old electrical engineer from Richland, Washington, charging him with clandestine assistance to the Iran‑aligned Houthi insurgency in Yemen.
Undisclosed trip to Yemen revealed
According to the Department of Justice, the suspect, identified as Ashton Hameed Elaboudi, flew to Yemen in September of the previous year. An FBI affidavit states his purpose was to establish contacts with Houthi operatives and to help upgrade the group’s communications network.
Official story fails to hold up
Upon his return to the United States, Elaboudi told Customs and Border Protection that he had been returning from Oman on a work assignment, claiming participation in a U.S. government mission to inspect missile‑defense installations. Investigators later discovered that his supervisor had no record of such a deployment and that no Department of Energy program required travel to either Yemen or Oman.
Links to Houthi‑affiliated contacts
FBI documents show that Elaboudi discussed covert ingress and egress routes for Yemen and expressed a desire to reach Sana’a to meet senior Houthi figures. Although he never set foot in the capital, the affidavit notes he exchanged messages with multiple informants, one of whom pretended to be a Houthi colonel. In those conversations, Elaboudi offered technical advice on communications hardware, ostensibly to enhance the rebels’ capabilities.
Questionable acquisitions under investigation
The probe also uncovered purchases that could be repurposed for improvised explosives and drone components. Prosecutors say these items constitute key evidence supporting the indictment.
Federal terrorism indictment
Elaboudi now faces a federal charge of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, a violation punishable under U.S. law. He is expected to appear before a judge, though no counsel was listed at the time of reporting. The case is in its early stages, and both the prosecution and defense are preparing to challenge the affidavit’s evidence.
