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Prosecutors Say Saudi Officials Helped Accused OpenAI Spy's Family Leave US
ReProsecutors Say Saudi Officials Helped Accused OpenAI Spy's Family Leave US
Federal prosecutors allege that a former OpenAI engineer planted recording devices in executive meeting rooms and had extensive contacts with Saudi royalty, while Saudi officials arranged travel for his wife and infant son shortly after his arrest.
Federal prosecutors have accused a former OpenAI engineer of secretly placing listening devices inside the artificial intelligence company's facilities and are investigating whether his alleged surveillance was meant to benefit a foreign government. In a detention filing, prosecutors said Abdulrahman Alfozan had been in frequent contact with a member of the Saudi royal family and had been searching OpenAI records involving Saudi Arabia before his arrest.
The filing also revealed that Saudi government officials helped arrange international travel for Alfozan's wife and three-month-old son shortly after he was taken into custody. Prosecutors cited those arrangements as evidence that Alfozan could receive substantial assistance from the Saudi government if released. They did not allege that Saudi Arabia directed his alleged surveillance, and the investigation remains ongoing, with prosecutors warning it may result in additional serious charges.
According to the filing, Alfozan spent weeks researching how to build an encrypted recording device with live-listening capabilities and where inside OpenAI he could capture sensitive conversations. He allegedly used an internal OpenAI tool to identify meeting rooms used by company executives and outside partners before concealing a customized audio recorder behind a television in an executive conference room in late September. That room regularly hosted leadership meetings, technical and product discussions, and briefings with government officials and business partners, prosecutors said.
Conversations in the room frequently involved proprietary research, OpenAI's technical capabilities, strategic decisions, government engagements and commercial relationships. Government officials met with OpenAI executives in the room around the time of the alleged surveillance, and prosecutors warned that Alfozan's conduct could pose a danger to U.S. national security. Investigators also found evidence suggesting the alleged surveillance extended beyond a single device. OpenAI security personnel discovered a second similar recorder inside a bag Alfozan left in a printer room, and searches of his home and electronic devices uncovered similar components and photographs that appeared to show reconnaissance of other locations inside OpenAI, including another conference room used for sensitive meetings.
Prosecutors said Alfozan showed particular interest in OpenAI's dealings with Saudi Arabia. His browsing history showed he accessed a folder titled «Saudi Gov Docs» on Oct. 4, 2026, and used an internal OpenAI tool to search for engagements involving Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. Among the subjects he searched were planned OpenAI visits to Saudi Arabia, an upcoming visit by the Saudi ministry and a meeting labeled «HUMAIN x MCIT @OpenAI.»
At the same time, Alfozan maintained frequent contact with an unidentified member of the Saudi royal family, including just four days before his arrest. In May, the royal told Alfozan «Saudi needs you more then [sic] the US!» and Alfozan responded «100,» which prosecutors interpreted as agreement. The royal repeatedly tried to recruit Alfozan for an artificial intelligence initiative in Saudi Arabia and asked when he planned to leave OpenAI. Alfozan said he would not leave until his stock vested, according to prosecutors. He was also allegedly pursuing other opportunities in Saudi Arabia, including applying to the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation's «2030 Leaders» program.
The Saudi connections have become central to prosecutors' argument that Alfozan poses a serious flight risk. At the time of his arrest, he had one-way tickets from San Francisco to Riyadh for Oct. 12, 2026, and was scheduled to begin two months of parental leave from OpenAI. The FBI arrested him on Oct. 9, 2026. His wife and infant son initially had a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia booked and paid for by the Saudi government, prosecutors said. A Saudi military official then purchased business-class tickets for the pair en route to Qatar, and they departed San Francisco roughly 36 hours after Alfozan's arrest.
Prosecutors also pointed to a previous federal case in which they alleged that a former Twitter employee received Saudi assistance leaving the United States after being confronted over his access to internal user data. After Twitter confronted employee Ali Alzabarah in 2015, prosecutors alleged, calls were exchanged with a Saudi foreign official and the Saudi consul general in Los Angeles to coordinate a flight to Saudi Arabia the following day. Alzabarah later went to work for the Misk Foundation, and charges against him remain pending.
Prosecutors argued that Alfozan similarly has access to considerable support from a foreign government with no extradition treaty with the United States and the resources to provide extraordinary travel assistance. Alfozan, a legal permanent resident, was earning $385,000 annually at OpenAI. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Saudi Embassy, OpenAI and Alfozan's attorney for comment.
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