Former OpenAI Engineer Accused of Planting Listening Devices Had Saudi Government Contacts, Prosecutors Say
Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national and former OpenAI engineer, was arrested by the FBI on October 9, 2026, and charged with using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications. Federal prosecutors allege he secretly planted audio recording devices inside OpenAI facilities and was in frequent contact with a member of the Saudi royal family. A detention filing submitted Sunday asks a federal judge to keep Alfozan in custody pending trial, citing flight risk and national security concerns.
Single source · Not corroborated
Alfozan, who earned $385,000 annually and had received a $2.2 million equity grant from OpenAI, allegedly spent weeks researching how to construct an encrypted recording device with live-listening capabilities before concealing a customized audio recorder behind a television in an executive conference room in late September 2026, according to the detention filing reported by Fox News. OpenAI security personnel also discovered a second similar recorder inside a bag Alfozan left in a printer room, and searches of his home and electronic devices uncovered related components and photographs that prosecutors said appeared to show reconnaissance of additional locations inside the company.
The conference room at the center of the case regularly hosted leadership meetings, technical and product discussions, and briefings with government officials and business partners, prosecutors stated. Conversations there frequently involved proprietary research, OpenAI's technical capabilities, strategic decisions, and commercial relationships. Government officials met with OpenAI executives in the room around the time of the alleged surveillance, leading prosecutors to warn that Alfozan's conduct "could pose a danger to the national security of the United States."
Prosecutors described Alfozan's browsing history as showing particular interest in OpenAI's dealings with Saudi Arabia. On October 4, 2026, he accessed a folder titled "Saudi Gov Docs" and searched an internal OpenAI tool for engagements involving Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, including planned OpenAI visits to Saudi Arabia and a meeting labeled "HUMAIN x MCIT @OpenAI," according to the filing. Investigators are examining whether the alleged surveillance was intended to advance Alfozan's own business interests, benefit a foreign government, or both. The filing does not allege that Saudi Arabia directed his surveillance.