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

A Saudi citizen who has been charged with secretly putting a recording device in an OpenAI meeting room had "considerable support" from the Saudi government, according to a court document filed in California.

US prosecutors said Abdulrahman Alfozan, who worked for the AI 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.

Prosecutors argued that the 35-year-old engineer might try to leave the country to avoid trial and should therefore be kept in custody.

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

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

The AI company found the device on 30 September. It had been plugged into the back of a television in a meeting room and hidden under toilet paper.

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

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

The court document said the suspect's alleged actions could pose "a danger to the national security of the United States". This was because technology company executives had met government officials in the room during the days 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. Their tickets were for a one-way trip.

The document said that after Alfozan's arrest, FBI agents spoke to his wife. She told them that "her US visa was expiring" and that she and her son were "permanently moving back to Saudi Arabia". She also said her husband planned to move there.

On 10 October, the day after Alfozan was arrested, his wife and son flew from San Francisco to Doha, Qatar. A Saudi military official had booked and paid for their one-way business-class tickets.

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

The FBI investigation is still underway.

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