SAN FRANCISCO, California — A federal judge in San Francisco has ordered a former OpenAI engineer to remain in custody without bail after prosecutors argued he was a significant flight risk in a case alleging he secretly planted a recording device inside the artificial-intelligence company's offices. U.S. Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse ruled on Monday that there was a “significant” risk Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, would fail to appear in court, rejecting his attorneys' request for release.
Source: Newsweek Arabia
Alfozan was arrested on October 9 and faces a federal charge of intercepting oral communications, which carries up to five years in prison if he is convicted, according to court reporting. Prosecutors allege he installed the device — concealed behind a television in an executive conference room — on September 28, and that OpenAI discovered it on September 30. Investigators also allege a similar customized device was found in his personal bag. The allegations have not been proven in court.
Source: Cybernews
In a detention filing reviewed by CNBC and reported by Cybernews, prosecutors said Alfozan was in frequent WhatsApp communication throughout 2025 and 2026 with an unnamed member of the Saudi royal family, who allegedly told him a Saudi AI initiative was being launched and that he should join it — in one alleged message saying Saudi Arabia needed him more than the United States. The filing does not say whether the royal directed Alfozan to install a recording device or steal information, Cybernews reported.
Source: Cybernews / CNBC filing
Prosecutors also argued that before his arrest Alfozan had bought a one-way ticket to Riyadh for October 12, and that his wife and young son left the United States on October 10, the day after his arrest, on tickets prosecutors say were paid for by a Saudi military official. They noted that the United States and Saudi Arabia have no extradition treaty. The judge also found it noteworthy that the Saudi Consulate had offered to pay the full bail amount, according to Cybernews.
Source: Newsweek Arabia
Alfozan's lawyer, William Pernik, disputes the flight-risk argument, saying his client intended to remain in the United States and had a naturalization interview scheduled for November 6. Defense filings say Alfozan has been a lawful permanent resident since 2020, has lived in the United States for about 15 years, and studied at MIT and the University of California, Berkeley.
Source: Cybernews
OpenAI said it used its internal AI models to help identify who planted the device and stated: “At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data. The employee was terminated.” Prosecutors said in their filing that “the government's investigation is ongoing and may result in additional serious charges,” and described the matter as a national-security concern. The complaint itself does not allege espionage.
Source: Newsweek Arabia