US govt official arrested on charges of supporting Iran-backed Houthis, buying bomb-making materials

Ellaboudy travelled to Yemen in September last year with the stated aim of helping the Houthis improve their communications capabilities. A US Energy Department electrical engineer has been arrested for allegedly providing material support to Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, including by purchasing materials used in homemade explosives and drones and traveling to Yemen, the Justice Department said.Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington, was arrested Thursday and is scheduled to make his first court appearance Friday, the Associated Press reported, citing the Justice Department. Court records did not list an attorney who could speak on his behalf.According to the FBI, Ellaboudy sought to help the Houthis improve their communications capabilities and traveled to Yemen in September last year. He allegedly used a passport issued while he was working with the US Army Corps of Engineers to travel to Oman before entering Yemen.After returning to the US, Ellaboudy allegedly told Customs and Border Protection officials that he had been in Oman on a work trip and was part of a US government mission inspecting missile defence systems.His supervisor, however, told investigators ...