Federal prosecutors alleged Saudi government support for a former OpenAI employee accused of planting a recording device, arguing he should remain in custody pending trial.
In a filing seeking to detain Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national and former OpenAI engineer, prosecutors said he maintained frequent WhatsApp contact over the past two years with an unnamed member of the Saudi Royal Family, including as recently as October 5. According to the filing, the royal contact told him in May 2026, “Saudi needs you more then [sic] the US!” and Alfozan replied “100,” which prosecutors said signaled agreement.
Saudi government support cited
Alfozan was arrested by the FBI on October 9. A criminal complaint states he planted a recording device behind a television in an OpenAI conference room used for sensitive meetings, similar to the incident described in OpenAI recording device found in executive conference room.
Security camera footage allegedly showed him near the room multiple times despite lacking authorization for high-level sessions, prosecutors said.
“In the days surrounding the time period that the device was installed, OpenAI executives met with government officials in that very room,” prosecutors wrote in a Sunday filing, adding that his actions could endanger U.S. national security. The complaint includes a photo that prosecutors say shows Alfozan looking behind the TV where the device was recovered.
Prosecutors also wrote that an unnamed Saudi military member booked an October 11 flight for Alfozan’s wife and son, even though they already had an October 12 reservation, and that the travel was paid for by the Saudi government.
Defense contests flight risk
In a separate submission, Alfozan’s attorney, William Pernik, argued his client is not a flight risk. Pernik wrote that Alfozan learned from OpenAI’s own filings and public statements that the device had been found eight to ten days before his October 9 arrest.
“If his intention was to flee, he would have done so at that time,” Pernik said.
The defense also challenged prosecutors’ earlier note that Alfozan had purchased a one-way ticket to Saudi Arabia, asserting the detail lacked context. Pernik wrote that 70 percent of Alfozan’s airline bookings since January 2021, 96 of 138, were one-way tickets.
To secure release, Pernik said Alfozan would agree to GPS monitoring and home detention, surrender his passports, remain within Northern California, and post a bond co-signed by community members and backed by a written undertaking from the Consulate General of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse is scheduled to hear arguments later Monday on whether Alfozan will remain in custody. The case is being handled by federal prosecutors in the United States.