OpenAI staff found the device on 30 September behind a television in an executive conference room in San Francisco, wrapped in toilet paper and connected to a USB port.
The FBI arrested Alfozan on 9 October and charged him with using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications, which carries up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Prosecutors said Alfozan had booked a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia for 12 October with his wife and another family member, and argued in a motion filed on 8 October that he could flee.
Court documents describe chatbot queries between 17 August and 16 September about conference rooms and meetings, and cameras placed him near the room eight times in September.
OpenAI said it found no indication that the employee improperly accessed model weights, source code or customer data, and it has fired him.
Prosecutors allege that Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national, concealed a recording device in an executive conference room at OpenAI's San Francisco offices. OpenAI staff discovered it on 30 September behind a television, where it was wrapped in toilet paper and plugged into a USB port on the back of the set. Investigators estimate the device was installed around 28 September, and the data it stored was encrypted and could not be accessed. Agents later found a similar custom device in a bag the suspect had left in another part of the building, along with his wallet and identification card.
Court documents say Alfozan used an AI productivity assistant to look up conference rooms, their availability and meeting schedules. Logs covering 17 August to 16 September show him asking where external partners usually meet OpenAI staff and which meetings were scheduled in that room. He also reportedly asked a chatbot used by his wife how to assemble and install a recording device and how to reach it remotely. Security cameras captured him near the room eight times in September, although he had no authorised access to it or to the meetings held there.
OpenAI said it used its own internal AI models to identify the employee and trace the device. The company also said it found signs he planned to place other recording devices in sensitive office areas. OpenAI has fired him and says it has no indication that he improperly accessed or extracted model weights, source code or customer data.
Prosecutors disclosed in a motion filed on 8 October, seeking to seal the criminal complaint, that Alfozan had booked a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia for 12 October with his wife and another family member. They argued he had the means and the incentive to flee the United States. He has been charged with using or attempting to use an electronic device to intercept oral communications, an offence carrying a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. His lawyer, William Pernik, said the defence will contest the allegations and his continued detention.
Pernik also argued that stressing his national origin revives dark chapters of US history. Investigators have not yet said what motivated him, and he is presumed innocent.
Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said the case shows the stakes of the AI race.
“this serious situation underscores why winning the global super intelligence race is a national security prerogative”
FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency treats protecting American superintelligence innovation as one of its top counterintelligence priorities.
“protecting American SI innovation is essential to safeguarding our nation's economic strength and national security”
Alfozan studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to a LinkedIn profile, and previously worked at Meta and interned at Microsoft. He gained permanent US residency in 2020 and joined OpenAI in July 2025. In an Arabic podcast interview he said he and other Saudi tech professionals had advised Saudi organisations, including the kingdom's social insurance agency. A Riyadh venture firm, RAED Ventures, also lists him as a venture partner.
The case has revived debate over the role of foreign workers in US tech, where many leading engineers were born abroad. Industry figures such as Anduril CEO Palmer Luckey have renewed arguments that the sector should prioritise hiring US citizens. Separately, eight US states have sued OpenAI over claims that ChatGPT harms children, and the company has also dismissed three other employees for alleged breaches of rules on sensitive information.
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Prosecutors say Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi engineer, hid a recording device behind a television in an OpenAI executive conference room in San Francisco. He was arrested on 9 October, and his lawyer is contesting his ongoing detention.
AI text based on reports by BBC, ČT24, Al Jazeera Online and other publishers. Changed .