Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, a Department of Energy employee at the Hanford Site in Richland, Wash., was to appear in federal court Thursday in connection with Justice Department allegations that he aided a foreign terror group, according to news first reported in the Tri-City Herald.
Ellaboudy is in the Benton County jail after being arrested on Thursday Oct. 1, according to the Oct. 5 newspaper article. He was originally scheduled to appear in federal court Tuesday but that was pushed back until Thursday to provide time for the defendant to find legal representation.
Ellaboudy has too much income to qualify for a court-appointed lawyer, according to the article, citing a finding last week by a federal magistrate.
A search in LinkedIn found an Ashton Ellaboudy in the Kennewick, Wash., area, listed as employed by DOE in the nuclear safety division at Hanford since April 2023.
“The Hanford Field Office appreciates the leadership and diligence of the investigation conducted by the FBI,” said DOE’s Hanford Field Office Manager Ray Geimer in an Oct. 1 press release from the U.S. Attorney’s office in Eastern Washington state.
“This matter did not involve an attempt to harm the Hanford Site or its workforce, and at no time was there a threat to the safety or security of the site,” Geimer added in the release. “We remain committed to providing a safe and secure workplace as we move the Hanford mission forward.”
A DOE spokesperson at Hanford directed any further request for comment on the individual and his employment at the department to DOE headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Ellaboudy, age 51, could face 20 years in prison if convicted of aiding the Houthis, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
“As alleged, a U.S. government employee traveled overseas and used his specialized expertise in an attempt to aid the Houthis, a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization backed by Iran,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg, in the press release. “Additionally, Ellaboudy acquired materials for the construction of explosive material and drones capable of delivering these explosives. These allegations are so deeply disturbing that they almost defy imagination.”
According to the federal press release, Ellaboudy got the FBI’s attention when he started buying “precursee” chemicals and materials that can be used in homemade explosives. He also started ordering parts that could be used to build drones.
During the course of the investigation, Ellaboudy “began communicating with an FBI confidential human source” who claimed to be in touch with a Houthi “colonel,” according to the federal press release. Ellaboudy sought to use his expertise to help the Houthis set up solar power and communications equipment.
Citing Justice Department documents, the newspaper said Ellaboudy is a naturalized U.S. citizen with family ties to Egypt. The newspaper reported Ellaboudy traveled to Yeman in September 2025 without authorization. Yeman’s capital is controlled by the Iran-backed Houthis, which the U.S. government has dubbed a terrorist organization.
According to the Herald article, upon returning to the United States, Ellaboudy told officers at Los Angeles International Airport he was traveling for DOE to inspect missile sites. Citing court papers, the newspaper said his DOE boss said his federal job did not involve foreign travel.
The FBI’s Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the case. The prosecution is being handled by the Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Cartier-Giroux for the Eastern District of Washington and trial attorneys Patrick Cashman and Ryan White of the Justice Department’s National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.