FBI arrests Energy Department engineer for allegedly aiding Houthis in Yemen

The FBI arrested Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, a 51-year-old Department of Energy electrical engineer from Richland, Washington, on charges of providing material support to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, the Justice Department announced Thursday. Ellaboudy allegedly purchased precursor chemicals for homemade explosives and drone parts, traveled to Yemen last September, and advised informants on communications equipment, including one posing as a Houthi colonel. He falsely told customs officials he was on a government missile inspection mission, which his supervisor denied. The Houthis, designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S., have fought Yemen's Saudi-backed government since 2014, a conflict that has killed hundreds and displaced tens of thousands. Ellaboudy is due in court Friday.