US government employee arrested on charges of supporting Houthis - Sarmad

The U.S. Department of Justice announced that a U.S. government employee was arrested on Thursday on allegations of providing support to the Iran-backed Houthi militia.

According to the German News Agency (DPA), the employee at the Department of Energy was accused of attempting to provide material support or resources to the Houthis, whom the United States designates as a foreign terrorist organization.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg stated that the man allegedly traveled abroad and used his specialized expertise to assist the Houthis.

Eisenberg added that the suspect “also obtained materials for making explosives and unmanned aerial vehicles” capable of carrying explosives.

He noted, “These allegations are so shocking that they almost defy belief.”

During an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the man began communicating with an FBI source who posed as working for a Houthi “colonel” in order to obtain communications equipment that was to be sent to Yemen for use in a mobile communications center.

The Department of Justice said the man provided “advice and specialized expertise, based on his background in electrical engineering.”

Jarod Brown, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, said the man “is accused of betraying the United States” and attempting to assist the Houthis.

He continued, “But thanks to the work of the men and women of the FBI, his actions were uncovered, and he is now in custody.”

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.