FBI considering espionage case against Saudi OpenAI suspect: Report

Engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan is accused of secretly recording conversations in the company's San Francisco conference room

Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national who worked as an OpenAI engineer, allegedly looks behind a TV where a recording device had been placed in OpenAI offices in San Francisco, California, in a still image obtained from surveillance video on 5 October 2026 (Department of Justice/Handout via Reuters)

Published date: 26 October 2026 17:42 GMT | Last update: 4 sec ago

The FBI is considering adding an economic espionage charge against Abdulrahman Alfozan, the Saudi national accused of secretly recording conversations in an OpenAI executive conference room, according to a law-enforcement official who spoke to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

The probe questions whether Alfozan, who worked at OpenAI as an engineer, may have stolen information from the company to offer to the Saudi government, even if he wasn't recruited to do so, the official told the WSJ in an article published on Saturday.

Alfozan's lawyer, William Pernik, told the WSJ that he hadn't received any information from the government about additional charges.

Alfozan, 35, a Saudi national and a legal permanent resident of the US, is facing federal charges.

He was arrested earlier this month and accused of wrapping a thumb-sized device containing a microphone and camera in toilet paper and plugging it behind a television in the meeting room, mostly used by company executives, at the San Francisco office.

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Alfozan is charged with violating a federal recording statute and faces a maximum prison sentence of five years if convicted. His next court hearing is scheduled for 6 November.

The Saudi embassy in Washington and OpenAI did not comment on the case.

OpenAI is trying to determine whether this was a case of corporate espionage or state-sponsored spying, a source familiar with the investigation told the WSJ. The law enforcement official said the investigation may not lead to further charges.

Communication with Saudi royal family

Federal prosecutors said in a court filing that Alfozan was "in frequent communications via WhatsApp with a member of the Saudi royal family" throughout 2025 and 2026.

The unnamed family member allegedly tried to recruit Alfozan for an AI initiative that was being launched in Saudi Arabia.

"Saudi needs you more than [sic] the US!" the unnamed royal family member told Alfozan, according to a court filing.

FBI arrests Saudi OpenAI engineer over hidden recording device

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Alfozan allegedly replied, "100", but said he wouldn't leave until his OpenAI stock had vested.

Prosecutors say their most recent communication was on 5 October, the same day Alfozan allegedly went to the conference room to look for his recording device.

OpenAI said it had already removed the device days earlier, on 30 September, during a security sweep. The company then contacted the FBI after finding it.

The incident has raised concerns about security and the protection of confidential information, as companies and governments compete to develop advanced AI technology.

Alfozan studied computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked at Meta and other tech firms before joining OpenAI in July 2025, according to the FBI complaint.

Last week, a San Francisco federal judge ordered Alfozan to be detained without bail based on concerns of a "significant" risk that he would flee.

Judge Alex Tse said the offer to pay the bail in full by the Saudi Consulate in Los Angeles was "problematic".

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