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An illustrative image of a modern conference room accompanies allegations by US prosecutors that a former OpenAI engineer accused of planting a recording device received support from Saudi-linked figures.
Ex-OpenAI Engineer Accused of Planting Recording Device Had Saudi Links, Prosecutors Say
WASHINGTON — October 19, 2026
A former OpenAI engineer accused of secretly installing a recording device in an executive conference room appears to have received significant support from the Saudi government, US prosecutors said in a court filing seeking to keep him in custody before trial.
Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, a Saudi national and lawful permanent resident of the United States, was in frequent contact with an unnamed member of the Saudi royal family, prosecutors alleged. They also said a Saudi military official paid for a one-way plane ticket for Alfozan’s wife and young son to return to Saudi Arabia after his arrest.
Prosecutors made the allegations while asking a federal judge to keep Alfozan detained, arguing that he could flee the country. He was scheduled to appear in federal court in San Francisco on Monday.
The case has raised questions about security at companies developing advanced artificial intelligence, as governments and businesses compete for technological advantages. Prosecutors said Alfozan had created customized, encrypted recording devices to secretly capture sensitive meetings involving OpenAI executives, business partners and government officials.
The Saudi government’s media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Alfozan’s lawyer, William Pernik, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pernik previously asked the court to release Alfozan under conditions that included electronic monitoring and surrendering his passport. He said Alfozan had lived in the United States for 15 years and had applied for US citizenship.
The lawyer also said a planned trip to Saudi Arabia this month had been booked before Alfozan came under investigation and was intended for family and immigration reasons, according to a court filing.
US prosecutors charged Alfozan last week with using an electronic device to intercept oral communications. A criminal complaint alleges that he connected a recording device to the back of a television in an executive conference room at one of OpenAI’s buildings in San Francisco.
According to prosecutors, meetings involving government officials took place in the room around the time the device was installed. OpenAI previously said it discovered the device on September 30 and referred the matter to the FBI.
Prosecutors said the investigation remains active and that additional charges could follow.
The court filing also described communications between Alfozan and a member of the Saudi royal family who sought to recruit him for an artificial intelligence-related role in Saudi Arabia. In a message cited by prosecutors, the royal family member wrote, “Saudi needs you more then the US!” Alfozan replied, “100,” according to the filing.
Before his arrest, Alfozan had been scheduled to travel to Riyadh during a planned two-month parental leave. Prosecutors said his wife told investigators that she and their son intended to move permanently to Saudi Arabia and that Alfozan planned to join them later.
In an Arabic-language interview on the Identity Capital podcast last month, Alfozan said he visited Saudi Arabia three or four times a year, followed developments there and advised or mentored Saudi startups.
He also described how meeting Prince Mohammed bin Salman, then Saudi Arabia’s deputy crown prince, at a 2016 gathering with young Saudi technology workers in Silicon Valley encouraged him to gain experience at a leading technology company before returning those skills to his home country.
While working at Facebook, Alfozan and other Saudis in Silicon Valley formed a consulting initiative that connected Saudi public- and private-sector organizations with expertise in big data, the internet of things and machine learning.
The allegations concerning Saudi government support and the recording device remain part of the criminal case. The court proceedings will determine how the evidence is assessed as the case moves forward.
