FBI Arrests Saudi OpenAI Worker For Planting Bug In Office: 'Attempted To Capture Sensitive Data'

Abdulrahman Alfozan allegedly planted a hidden recording device in a conference room that used advanced encryption and could monitor audio and transfer data without being noticed.

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OpenAI said it found a hidden recording device in one of its conference rooms. (Image Credit: Reuters)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Tuesday arrested an OpenAI worker for allegedly planting a bug in one of the company’s offices in an attempt to secretly record sensitive communications about the artificial intelligence technology.

OpenAI said a team that searches for surveillance equipment found a hidden recording device on September 30 during a sweep of a conference room. The device was built to evade detection, used advanced encryption and could monitor audio and transfer data without being noticed, as reported by The New York Times.

The employee, identified as Abdulrahman Alfozan (35), was a Saudi national. He was arrested on October 9 and made his initial appearance in federal court today, according to an FBI statement.

According to the company, Alfozan planned to place more recording devices in sensitive areas of the company’s offices to secretly record meetings. OpenAI said it had used its most advanced AI models to help investigators analyse copies of the device’s stored data.

OpenAI said the device had been concealed in toilet paper and was installed on or about September 28, and its contents were encrypted. It was inserted into a USB port on the back of a television in an executive conference room inside one of their buildings in San Francisco.

Who Is Abdulrahman Alfozan?

The US Department of Justice said Alfozan has been employed as an engineer by OpenAI since July 2025. According to the complaint, Alfozan used a productivity tool to make multiple inquiries about OpenAI’s building addresses, meeting rooms, meeting-room capacities and calendars and other meetings prior to September 28.

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Who is the OpenAI employee arrested by the FBI for planting a bug?

The FBI arrested 35-year-old Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan, who had been employed as an engineer by OpenAI since July 2025.

How was the hidden recording device discovered in the OpenAI office?

Did the arrested OpenAI employee manage to access any customer data or model weights?

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