The department's account describes allegations in a criminal complaint. Ellaboudy is presumed innocent, and the announcement does not establish that prosecutors have proved the alleged conduct or that any planned assistance reached its intended recipient.
The Alleged Assistance
The Justice Department said investigators examined purchases of materials associated with explosives and drones. It also alleged that Ellaboudy offered advice and assistance relating to communications and power equipment.
According to the department, part of the investigation involved a confidential FBI source who purported to work for a Houthi officer. That distinction matters: communications with an undercover source cannot automatically be described as direct contact with an actual member of the group. The charge concerns an alleged attempt to provide support.
Travel Described in the Complaint
The complaint alleges that Ellaboudy traveled to Oman in September 2025 using an official passport previously issued during his employment with the US Army Corps of Engineers. Prosecutors say he then crossed into Yemen intending to reach Sanaa, which is controlled by the Houthis.
The Associated Press reported that the FBI said he did not reach the capital. The Justice Department said he claimed on returning to the United States that he had been traveling on government business, but his Department of Energy supervisor said no official travel to that region had been authorized.
Hanford Officials Address Safety
The Department of Energy's Hanford Field Office said the case did not involve an attempt to harm the Hanford site or its workforce. Its statement, included in the Justice Department announcement, said there had been no threat to the site's safety or security.
The allegations should therefore not be expanded into a claim that the investigation uncovered an attack on a nuclear facility. The announced case concerns attempted support for the Houthis, a group designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization.
The Case Moves to Court
The October 1 announcement scheduled an initial federal court appearance in Richland for October 2. It said the charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years if Ellaboudy is convicted; that maximum is not a sentence already imposed.
The FBI's Inland Northwest Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the case. The public announcement does not establish a connection between the defendant and any particular Houthi attack against Israel, shipping or another target. Subsequent court records will determine the next procedural steps and provide the setting for the allegations to be challenged and assessed.
