Investigators said he told FBI informants that he had to be smuggled into and out of Yemen.
Ellaboudy travelled to Yemen in September last year with the stated aim of helping the Houthis improve their communications capabilities.
Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington, was arrested Thursday and is expected to appear in court for the first time on Friday.
He allegedly bought materials for homemade explosives and drone parts and travelled to Yemen, the US justice department said Thursday. After returning to the US, Ellaboudy allegedly told Customs and Border Protection officers that he had travelled from Oman on a work trip and was part of a US government mission to inspect defence facilities. A US department of energy electrical engineer has been arrested for allegedly providing material support to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. He faces charges under a US law that prohibits providing material support to organisations designated as foreign terrorist organisations. The Houthis are designated as such by the US.
During the investigation, Ellaboudy communicated with several informants. One of them was posing as a Houthi colonel. Authorities allege that Ellaboudy provided advice and assistance on communications equipment as part of his efforts to help the group. Court records did not list an attorney available to speak on Ellaboudy’s behalf.