US prosecutors say former OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan, accused of planting a hidden recording device in an executive conference room at OpenAI's San Francisco offices, appears to have received considerable support from the Saudi government, according to a court filing made public Sunday evening.
What prosecutors allege
Alfozan, 35, a Saudi national who worked as an engineer at OpenAI from July 2025 until his termination last week, was charged with using or attempting to use an electronic device to intercept oral communications. According to a criminal complaint, he plugged a recording device into the back of a television in an executive conference room at one of OpenAI's San Francisco buildings and concealed it in toilet paper, its contents encrypted.
The filing, submitted as prosecutors asked a federal judge to keep Alfozan in U.S. custody ahead of trial on the grounds that he is a flight risk, quotes messages in which an unnamed member of the Saudi royal family sought to recruit him for an AI-focused role in Saudi Arabia, writing: "Saudi needs you more then the US!" Alfozan replied "100."
Prosecutors also allege that a Saudi military official paid for a one-way plane ticket for Alfozan's wife and young son to return to Saudi Arabia after his arrest. His wife told investigators she and their son planned to move permanently to Saudi Arabia, with Alfozan eventually joining them. Alfozan was scheduled to appear in federal court in San Francisco on Monday, October 19.
The investigation timeline
OpenAI said it discovered the device on September 30 and referred the matter to the FBI. Surveillance footage captured Alfozan on October 5 looking behind the television where the device had been installed, and security found a second recording device — plus his wallet and ID — in a bag he had left unattended. The FBI arrested Alfozan on October 9.
The executive conference room was off-limits to Alfozan, and meetings involving government officials took place there around the time the device was installed, according to the Justice Department. FBI Director Kash Patel said Alfozan "allegedly concealed a covert recording device inside his employer's executive conference room to secretly capture sensitive communications about the company's super intelligence technology."
If convicted, Alfozan faces a maximum of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. Prosecutors said the investigation remains active and additional charges could follow.
Responses so far
OpenAI said it used its own AI models to analyze the device and trace it to the employee responsible, and reported "no indications" of access to or exfiltration of model weights, source code, or customer data. The Saudi government media office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Alfozan's lawyer, William Pernik, had sought release under location monitoring and passport surrender, noting Alfozan had spent the last 15 years in the United States and had applied for citizenship. Pernik said a planned trip to Saudi Arabia this month was booked before the investigation and was for "family and immigration reasons," and stressed his client is presumed innocent and entitled to due process.
Why it matters
The case has highlighted the security challenges facing companies working on frontier AI, as governments and firms compete for an edge in a technology with major economic and national-security implications. Prosecutors' allegations of foreign government involvement raise the stakes further, turning a corporate spying case into one about alleged foreign backing in a hypersensitive industry. Alfozan remains in federal custody as the case proceeds.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Lightless Dawn (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources
- Reuters via CNA: Ex-OpenAI employee accused of planting device appears to have Saudi backing, US prosecutors say
- The Hindu: Ex-OpenAI employee accused of planting device appears to have Saudi backing, court filing shows
- Al Jazeera: OpenAI bugging suspect allegedly booked one-way trip to Saudi Arabia
- Gulf News: OpenAI engineer arrested over hidden recording device in executive meeting room