Ex-OpenAI worker accused of planting device had Saudi support, says court filing

A Saudi citizen accused of secretly placing a recording device in an OpenAI meeting room received what prosecutors called "considerable support" from the Saudi government, according to a court document filed in California.

US prosecutors said Abdulrahman Alfozan, who worked for the artificial intelligence company, was in "frequent communication... with a member of the Saudi royal family." They also said a Saudi military official paid for a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia for Alfozan's wife and son after his arrest.

The 35-year-old engineer was judged to be at risk of fleeing on Monday and was denied bail while he awaits trial.

The Saudi government did not immediately respond to the BBC's request for comment.

Alfozan worked at OpenAI for about a year before he allegedly tried to plant an audio recorder.

On 30 September, the company found the device plugged into the back of a television in a conference room. Someone had covered it with toilet paper.

A camera was placed in the room. On 5 October, footage showed Alfozan entering and appearing to look behind the television where the recorder had been placed.

The FBI arrested him on 9 October, and OpenAI ended his contract.

The court document said his alleged actions could "pose a danger to the national security of the United States." This was because executives from the technology company had met government officials in the room during the period when the device was believed to have been installed.

The document said Alfozan was arrested three days before he was due to fly from San Francisco to Riyadh with his wife and son on a one-way trip.

According to the document, Alfozan's wife told FBI agents who questioned her after his arrest that "her US visa was expiring." She said she and her son were "permanently moving back to Saudi Arabia" and that her husband planned to do the same.

On 10 October, the day after Alfozan was arrested, his wife and son flew from San Francisco to Doha, Qatar. They travelled on a one-way business-class ticket that a Saudi military official had booked and paid for.

"Ultimately, the defendant has little incentive to remain in the United States to see this case through," prosecutors argued.

On Monday, US District Judge Alex Tse rejected Alfozan's lawyers' request to release him on bail. The judge said "there is a risk of non-appearance that is significant," meaning there was a serious risk that Alfozan would not return to court.

The FBI investigation is still underway.

Alfozan was due to appear in federal court in San Francisco later on Monday. If found guilty, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 (£188,000) fine.