Richland:A US Energy Department electrical engineer has been arrested for allegedly supporting Yemen's Houthis by purchasing materials for homemade explosives and drones and traveling to Yemen.

According to Anadolu Agency, Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, from Richland, Washington, was taken into custody on Thursday and was scheduled to make his initial court appearance on Friday, as reported by CBS News citing the Justice Department.

Ellaboudy is accused of attempting to assist the Houthis in enhancing their communications capabilities and reportedly traveled to Yemen last September. The FBI indicated that Ellaboudy used a passport issued during his tenure with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to travel to Oman, which borders Yemen.

He faces charges under a US law that criminalizes providing material support to organizations designated as foreign terrorist organizations, a classification that includes the Houthis. If found guilty, Ellaboudy could face a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, according to the Justice Department.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since 2014 when the Houthis took over the capital Sanaa and several provinces, leading to a Saudi-led coalition's intervention in 2015 to support Yemen's internationally recognized government.