Ex-OpenAI engineer accused of planting spy device received Saudi government support, prosecutors say
A court filing says the Saudi government helped a former OpenAI engineer who is accused of trying to record private meetings. Prosecutors want him to remain in jail while his case continues.
Federal prosecutors said Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, often exchanged messages on WhatsApp with a member of the Saudi royal family. This person encouraged him to join a Saudi project focused on artificial intelligence. Prosecutors also said Saudi officials helped arrange travel for his wife and baby son after his arrest on October 9. The filing does not claim that the royal family member ordered the suspected spying.
The recording device found in the conference room
(Photo: US v. Abdulrahman Alfozan, 3:26-mj-71329)
Prosecutors want Alfozan to stay in jail without bail. They point to his connections outside the United States and worry that he might escape to Saudi Arabia, which has no agreement with the United States to send people back to face criminal charges. His lawyer disagrees that he is likely to flee and has asked the court to release him under strict rules.
Alfozan was arrested after OpenAI found a hidden recording device connected to a television in an executive meeting room on September 30. Investigators say he used AI tools to look up meeting locations and recording technology.
OpenAI fired Alfozan and said it found no evidence that he had stolen sensitive information about its AI models, computer code or customer data. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.