OpenAI / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Ex-OpenAI engineer accused of espionage had Saudi backing, prosecutors say
Federal prosecutors allege Abdulrahman Alfozan hid a recording device in an OpenAI conference room while in contact with a Saudi royal
A former OpenAI engineer accused of bugging an executive conference room appears to have had substantial support from the Saudi government, according to US federal prosecutors.
The engineer, Abdulrahman Alfozan, is a 35-year-old Saudi national. Prosecutors say he planted a covert audio recording device inside an executive meeting room at an OpenAI office in San Francisco.
The device was reportedly hidden in toilet paper and plugged into a television’s USB port.
What prosecutors allege
According to the court filings, the recording device was installed around September 28, 2026. OpenAI discovered it two days later, on September 30.
Prosecutors say Alfozan was then caught on camera on October 5 checking on the spot where the device had been placed.
The FBI arrested him on October 9, 2026.
The filings also describe communications between Alfozan and an unnamed member of the Saudi royal family. Those exchanges reportedly continued until early October 2026.
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Messages discussed Alfozan’s potential recruitment for a Saudi AI initiative, prosecutors say. The tone, as described in the filings, suggested Saudi Arabia was in a hurry to secure his expertise.
One day after his arrest, on October 10, a Saudi military official allegedly paid for a one-way flight that took Alfozan’s wife and child to Doha.
Prosecutors characterized Alfozan as a flight risk and argued he should remain in custody. The charges he faces could carry up to five years in prison along with a substantial fine.
The money and the rƩsumƩ
Alfozan was not a junior contractor wandering the halls. Court filings show he earned between $325,000 and $385,000 a year at OpenAI, plus a $2.2 million equity grant.
He joined OpenAI in July 2025. Before that, his career ran through some of the biggest names in tech, including Meta and Microsoft, and he was involved with a Y Combinator startup.
His ties to Saudi interests run deeper than the alleged royal messages. Alfozan held advisory roles connected to Saudi entities and served as a venture partner at RAED Ventures, a venture capital firm based in Riyadh, where he worked alongside members of Saudi royalty.
What OpenAI says
OpenAI has said it found no evidence that any data was stolen or exfiltrated.
The quick discovery, roughly two days after installation per prosecutors, likely limited the window for any damage.