A US court has ordered former OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan to remain in custody pending trial after prosecutors accused him of hiding recording devices inside the company’s offices.
Ars Technica, citing a US government filing and Business Insider’s account of the hearing, reported that Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse granted the detention request on Monday. US Attorney Craig Missakian had filed the request on Sunday.
The detention order determines Alfozan’s custody before trial. The underlying claims remain allegations by the US government.
Device found in a room used for sensitive meetings
According to the filing, OpenAI discovered a concealed recording device in a conference room about two weeks before Alfozan booked a flight out of the United States. Prosecutors said the device had remained there for “at least multiple days” and was active during a top-secret meeting involving US government officials.
OpenAI executives also met government representatives in the room during the period surrounding the device’s installation, the filing says.
Photos allegedly recovered from Alfozan’s iPhone showed at least one additional hidden recorder. Other images reportedly documented input and output panels on televisions and electronic equipment across several OpenAI buildings, including another conference room regularly used for sensitive discussions.
Prosecutors allege that Alfozan installed the devices for his own commercial benefit, to assist the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, or for both purposes. The government argues that it does not need to establish which of those alleged motives applied.
AI tools and account logs form part of the case
The government filing describes several forms of digital activity that prosecutors say support their case.
Alfozan allegedly asked an OpenAI productivity agent to identify conference rooms suitable for covert recording. Logs also reportedly show that his wife’s personal ChatGPT account was used to research modifications that would make hidden recorders activate when speech was detected and support remote controls.
In a separate request, Alfozan allegedly used the productivity agent to compile ten OpenAI employees who might be appropriate for an informal, senior-level meeting with Saudi ministers. The request reportedly favored senior staff and sought a reason for each proposed name.
On October 4, he allegedly accessed an iPhone folder named Saudi Gov Docs. The government filing did not reveal the folder’s contents.
Prosecutors also cited WhatsApp conversations with a member of the Saudi Royal Family. The FBI characterized those exchanges as recruitment activity. The reported messages began in 2025 and continued through October 5. In one exchange, Alfozan allegedly replied “100” after being told that Saudi Arabia needed him more than the United States.
Arrest before a planned one-way journey
The FBI arrested Alfozan days before a planned departure, according to the filing. He had booked one-way travel to Riyadh for himself, his wife and their child, with a Saudi government-funded ticket allegedly involved.
After the arrest, his wife and son left the United States on an earlier flight. Prosecutors said a member of the Saudi military paid for their one-way business-class travel to Doha, Qatar.
Agents seized Alfozan’s Saudi passport. He declined to answer FBI questions and requested an attorney. His wife reportedly told investigators that she had previously seen her ChatGPT account open on his laptop when questioned about the family’s planned move.
Prosecutors argue that foreign support increases flight risk
Alfozan is a Saudi national and lawful permanent resident of the United States. He moved to the country in 2009, earned technical degrees from MIT and UC Berkeley, and worked in the Bay Area for roughly a decade.
The filing says OpenAI hired him as an engineer “in or around July 2025,” with a base salary of $325,000 and a $2,200,000 new-hire grant in profit participation units.
Prosecutors cited those earnings, reported Saudi bank accounts and alleged continuing support from the Saudi government as reasons he could flee if released. Although the FBI holds his Saudi passport, the government argued that he could obtain replacement travel documents.
The detention request also referenced the prosecution of former Twitter employees accused of spying for Saudi Arabia. Prosecutors pointed specifically to Ali Alzabarah, whose charges remain pending after a Saudi official allegedly helped arrange a flight following his confrontation by Twitter.
The government characterized Alfozan’s alleged conduct as a danger to US national security. As reported, illegally recording the OpenAI meetings carries a maximum sentence of five years, while prosecutors said more serious charges could follow as the investigation develops. Alfozan remains detained pending trial.
