A U.S. court on Monday granted the U.S. government's request to detain a former OpenAI engineer accused of planting a recording device in an executive conference room at the company's San Francisco office to allegedly steal sensitive secrets.
In a new court filing Sunday, prosecutors revealed that Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national, was "in frequent communications via WhatsApp with a member of the Saudi Royal Family" throughout 2025 and 2026. Alfozan is said to have communicated with the Saudi royal as recently as October 5, 2026, four days before he was arrested.
"Among other things, the individual told the defendant that an artificial intelligence initiative was being launched in Saudi Arabia and wanted the defendant to join it," the filing reads. "In May 2026, the individual told the defendant, 'Saudi needs you more then [sic] the US!' to which the defendant responded '100,' indicating he agreed."
The Saudi Royal Family member is said to have repeatedly attempted to recruit Alfozan and even asked when he planned to leave OpenAI, to which the defendant said he wouldn't do so until his stock vested.
Alfozan joined OpenAI as an engineer around July 2025 with an annual base salary of $385,000. Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) revealed that he had been arrested for allegedly inserting a stealthy audio recording device into a USB port on the back of a television in the executive conference room to capture sensitive conversations.
The 35-year-old defendant is also said to have modified the device to prevent data transfer between it and the television and encrypted the content stored on the device's microSD card. In addition, he used his wife's personal ChatGPT account to research how to "build a continuous audio recorder" to "captur[e] microphone audio and save compressed WAV recordings to an SD card."
"In the days and weeks before placing the device, the defendant (i) used an OpenAI productivity agent to ascertain which 'meeting rooms' OpenAI 'leadership and exec[utives]' used, and where they met with 'external partners'; and (ii) spent considerable time near the conference room where he later installed the device," the filing said.
Alfozan has been charged with using or endeavoring to use an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications. If convicted, he faces a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison.
Prosecutors also argued that Alfozan is a flight risk, stating he has "ample resources... and what appears to be considerable support from a foreign government that has (i) no extradition treaty with the United States; (ii) limitless resources; and (iii) the ability to provide extraordinary travel assistance," according to the filing.
Shortly after details of his arrest became public knowledge, it emerged that the defendant had planned to depart to Riyadh with his wife and son on a one-way ticket on October 12, 2026. Although he was arrested three days prior, his wife and son are said to have already left the U.S. without him.
The day before her departure, Alfozan's wife allegedly told the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents that her U.S. visa was expiring and that she, along with her son, were permanently shifting back to Saudi Arabia.
"The defendant went to significant lengths to create customized, encrypted recording devices to secretly record highly sensitive meetings involving senior OpenAI personnel and executives, high-level business counterparts, and government officials, all while communicating with individuals of significance in Saudi Arabia and pursuing opportunities in – and making plans to travel to – Saudi Arabia," the filing said.
Stating the U.S. government's investigation is ongoing, prosecutors said a search of the defendant's residence and a "preliminary review" of his electronic devices, including his cellphone, uncovered several pieces of evidence -
- Several electronic components similar to those in the customized devices the defendant installed in the OpenAI conference room and had in his missing bag were identified in his residence.
- Photographs from his iPhone dated between September 22 and 28, 2026, that depict one additional concealed recording device, as well as what appear to be the input/output panels on TVs and other electronic devices in various locations in OpenAI buildings, including a second conference room where sensitive meetings took place.
- A deleted note on his cellphone from September 2026 included links to various recording devices, including those made by Seeed Studio, the same manufacturer whose devices were found in OpenAI's offices and his residence.
- Browsing history showed that the defendant accessed a folder called "Saudi Gov Docs" on October 4, 2026, and he used an OpenAI productivity agent to inquire about various Saudi-related business and government-related engagements from the Saudi Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) between July 6, 2026, and September 21, 2026.
"The defendant leveraged his skills as a highly-educated engineer to create sophisticated recording devices that – the evidence strongly suggests – he intended to bring with him to Saudi Arabia," the filing said.
"Whether the defendant wanted to record OpenAI meetings to enrich himself by enhancing his own business prospects, or to provide aid a foreign government, or both, his conduct is criminal and it presents a danger to innovation in the Silicon Valley and a concern for the national security of the United States."
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