FBI weighs espionage case against Saudi engineer accused of bugging OpenAI

The FBI is exploring an espionage case against Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi engineer accused of hiding a recording device in an OpenAI executive conference room, The Wall Street Journal reported. He is currently charged under federal wiretap law.

The FBI is exploring whether to pursue an espionage case against a Saudi engineer accused of planting a covert recording device in an executive conference room at OpenAI's San Francisco offices, The Wall Street Journal reported. For now, Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, is charged 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.

According to the Justice Department, OpenAI staff found the device around Sept. 30, hidden in toilet paper and plugged into the back of a television in the conference room, where confidential technical, commercial and strategic matters were often discussed. A second, similar recorder was later found in a bag he left in another OpenAI building, along with his wallet and ID. Alfozan, who had worked at OpenAI since July 2025, was arrested on Oct. 9 and made his first court appearance on Oct. 13.

The Pioneer Building in San Francisco, OpenAI's former headquarters

Prosecutors allege he used an internal productivity tool to ask about building addresses, meeting rooms, calendars and executives' locations, and that a chatbot account linked to his spouse submitted prompts about building, hiding and remotely accessing an audio recorder. Court filings reported by the Associated Press say he was arrested three days before he was scheduled to fly to Saudi Arabia on a one-way itinerary and that he had frequent contact with a member of the Saudi royal family who encouraged him to join an AI initiative in the kingdom. The filings do not say the Saudi government directed the operation.

FBI Director Kash Patel said protecting American AI innovation is a top counterintelligence priority, and Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said "winning the global super intelligence race is a national security prerogative." A court has extended Alfozan's pretrial detention. The allegations have not been proven in court.

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