Links to Saudi royal family, plans to leave US: What filing against ex-OpenAI engineer who planted device revealed

Abdulrahman Alfozan, a former engineer at artificial intelligence (AI) company OpenAI accused of planting a "sophisticated recording device" in an executive conference room, was in contact with a member of the Saudi royal family and was planning to leave the US for Riyadh when authorities arrested him, federal prosecutors said in a court memorandum on Sunday (18 October).Alfozan was arrested on 9 October and is accused of using AI tools to develop encrypted recording devices and locate meeting rooms used by OpenAI executives, government officials and business partners, according to CBS News.What did the court filing reveal?In an 11-page filing, prosecutors said investigators found evidence indicating that Alfozan may have planned to install additional devices in the AI firm’s offices.

The filing also revealed his WhatsApp exchanges with an unnamed member of the Saudi royal family, who repeatedly urged him to return to the kingdom and take part in an AI initiative there.Prosecutors further alleged that between 2025 and 2026, the former OpenAI engineer "was in frequent communication via WhatsApp with a member of the Saudi Royal Family, including as recently as October 5, 2026." The royal family member reportedly told Alfozan, "Saudi needs you more than [sic] the US!", as part of a campaign to recruit him.

While Alfozan agreed, he added that he would not leave until his stock vested.Alfozan was arrested on 9 October, three days before he was scheduled to leave the US with his wife and infant son on a one-way flight to Riyadh. The filing also revealed that his wife and three-month-old son left the country on 10 October on business-class tickets bought by a Saudi military official.

Before his arrest, he was due to begin two months of parental leave in October.According to a Bloomberg report, Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse denied Alfozan’s bail request after prosecutors argued that his alleged connection to the Saudi royal family and recent termination from the AI firm made him a serious flight risk as he awaited trial.In the court filings, the US government argued that Alfozan poses a “danger to the national security of the United States” because of the nature of the allegations against him and his connections to the Saudi government.What is the case against Abdulrahman Alfozan?According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Alfozan, a green card holder, was arrested earlier this month after OpenAI staff found an audio recording device planted behind a television in an executive conference room.

On 28 September, he installed a "surreptitious audio recording device into a USB port on the back of a television in an executive OpenAI conference room, where the device remained for at least multiple days," investigators alleged.According to the DOJ, Alfozan was not authorised to access the executive conference room where investigators found the device. Surveillance footage also showed him near the conference room several times before the "recording device" was found.

On 5 October, he reportedly entered the room to retrieve it.Alfozan, a permanent resident of the US since 2020 and set to become a naturalised citizen soon, will remain in custody and return to court next month.