US prosecutors have raised questions about possible Saudi backing for a former OpenAI engineer accused of secretly installing a recording device inside the artificial intelligence company’s executive conference room, arguing that his international connections and travel plans make him a potential flight risk.
Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, allegedly maintained frequent contact with a member of the Saudi royal family. Prosecutors also claim that a Saudi military official paid for a one-way ticket for Alfozan’s wife and young son to return to Saudi Arabia following his arrest.
The allegations were outlined in a court filing made public late Sunday as federal prosecutors urged a judge to keep Alfozan in custody until his trial. He was scheduled to appear in federal court in San Francisco on Monday.
Alfozan, a Saudi national and lawful permanent resident of the United States, has denied neither the allegations nor the government’s claims in the filings through any response cited in the available court documents. His lawyer, William Pernik, has previously sought his release under strict conditions, including electronic monitoring and the surrender of his passport.
Pernik has argued that Alfozan has spent approximately 15 years in the United States and had already applied for US citizenship. He also said a planned trip to Saudi Arabia had been arranged before the investigation began and was connected to family and immigration matters.
Recording device allegedly concealed behind television
The case centers on a device that prosecutors say Alfozan installed behind a television in an executive conference room at one of OpenAI’s buildings in San Francisco.
According to the criminal complaint, the equipment was designed to intercept private conversations. Prosecutors allege that Alfozan went to considerable lengths to develop customized, encrypted recording devices capable of secretly capturing sensitive discussions.
The meetings potentially exposed to surveillance involved senior OpenAI employees, business executives from partner organizations and government officials. Prosecutors said government-related meetings took place in the room around the time the device was installed.
OpenAI discovered the device on September 30 and referred the matter to the FBI, the company previously said.
Alfozan was charged last week with using an electronic device to intercept oral communications. Prosecutors have indicated that the investigation remains ongoing and that further charges could follow.
The allegations have intensified concerns about security at major artificial intelligence companies, where commercially valuable research and discussions involving government officials can attract interest from foreign governments and other outside actors.
Messages point to possible Saudi recruitment effort
Prosecutors cited messages suggesting that a member of the Saudi royal family had sought to recruit Alfozan for an artificial intelligence-related position in Saudi Arabia.
In one exchange included in the court filing, the royal family member reportedly wrote, “Saudi needs you more then the US!” Alfozan responded with “100,” according to prosecutors.
Before his arrest, Alfozan had been scheduled to travel to Riyadh during a planned two-month period of parental leave. Prosecutors said his wife told investigators that she and their son intended to relocate permanently to Saudi Arabia, with Alfozan eventually planning to join them.
The government has presented these circumstances, alongside his communications and alleged recording activities, as reasons to believe he could leave the United States if released.
Saudi authorities had not immediately commented on the allegations, and Alfozan’s lawyer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Longstanding ties to Saudi Arabia’s technology sector
Alfozan has previously spoken publicly about his connections to Saudi Arabia and his interest in helping develop the country’s technology industry.
In an Arabic-language interview on the Identity Capital podcast last month, he said he travelled to Saudi Arabia three or four times annually, kept track of developments there and advised or mentored local startups.
He also described meeting Mohammed bin Salman, then Saudi Arabia’s deputy crown prince, during a 2016 gathering with young Saudi technology workers in Silicon Valley. According to Alfozan, the encounter helped persuade him to build experience at a leading technology company before eventually bringing his expertise back to Saudi Arabia.
During his time at Facebook, Alfozan and other Saudi professionals in Silicon Valley established a consulting initiative that connected Saudi public- and private-sector organizations with specialists in big data, the Internet of Things and machine learning.
Prosecutors are now examining those connections alongside the alleged surveillance activity as they make their case for continued detention.
The case remains at the allegation stage, and the claims made in the detention filing have yet to be established at trial. At its center are questions about the purpose of the recording equipment, the intended use of any captured conversations and whether Alfozan’s Saudi connections played a role in the alleged conduct.
