Former OpenAI engineer, accused of planting office bug, had ties with Saudi royal family: US prosecutors

Former OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan, who is accused of placing a hidden recording device in the company's San Francisco office, was in contact with a member of the Saudi royal family. The royal family member urged him to return to Saudi Arabia and join the country's artificial intelligence project, prosecutors said, according to CBS News. Alfozan, a Saudi citizen, was arrested on October 9. He is accused of putting a recording device in a conference room used by OpenAI executives. Prosecutors said he was preparing to leave the United States for Riyadh with his wife and baby son when he was arrested. An 11-page court document obtained by CBS News describes WhatsApp messages between Alfozan and an unnamed member of the Saudi royal family. The messages show that the royal family member allegedly encouraged him to work on an AI project in Saudi Arabia. “Saudi needs you more than [sic] the US!” the royal family member allegedly wrote. Prosecutors said Alfozan agreed but indicated that he would wait until his company shares became available to him before leaving. Investigators also found photos of other places where recording devices might have been placed, along with internet searches about meetings between OpenAI executives and Saudi government officials, the court document said. Prosecutors alleged that Alfozan may have considered placing more recording devices in the company's offices and planned to collect equipment before leaving the company.

The device was allegedly installed on September 28 in a USB port at the back of a television in a conference room used by company executives. Prosecutors said it was made to store encrypted audio recordings and stayed there for several days. The room was used for meetings about private technical, business and planning matters, including discussions with government officials, the court document said. Prosecutors argued that the alleged actions could threaten national security. Alfozan was due to fly from San Francisco to Riyadh on October 12. Prosecutors allege that his wife and three-month-old son left the United States on October 10 using business-class tickets bought by a Saudi military official. According to the court document, Alfozan joined OpenAI in July 2025. He earned an annual salary of $385,000 and received company shares worth $2.2 million. He was also scheduled to take two months of parental leave starting in October. The former engineer became a permanent US resident in September 2020 and later applied to become a US citizen. OpenAI fired him after his arrest. At a court hearing on Monday, a judge rejected his lawyers' request to release him to remain at home under restrictions while awaiting trial. Prosecutors argued that his financial resources and connections overseas made him likely to flee. Alfozan is expected to appear in court again next month.