FBI arrests Saudi OpenAI engineer over covert recording device, DOJ says

On October 13, federal authorities in the United States detained a Saudi national, Abdulrahman Alfozan, a former engineer at OpenAI, and charged him with covertly installing a hidden audio recording device in an executive conference room at the artificial intelligence firm. According to the Justice Department, the case underscores the heightened security concerns surrounding sensitive AI research as corporations and governments vie fiercely for the talent and technology that could yield economic and strategic benefits.

Alfozan, who had been employed by OpenAI since July 2025, discovered the diminutive device, which featured a microphone and camera, concealed within toilet paper on September 30 at one of the company's San Francisco facilities. The thumb-sized apparatus, encrypted and inaccessible at the time of discovery, was installed on or around September 28.

An FBI investigation revealed that Alfozan had also concealed a similar customized device within his personal belongings during this period. The company terminated Alfozan following the incident, and OpenAI subsequently alerted the FBI, which is continuing its investigation.

In a statement, FBI Director Kash Patel elaborated on the alleged covert activities, stating that the employee had intended to surreptitiously record meetings in sensitive areas of the company's premises. OpenAI affirmed its internal findings, asserting that no evidence exists to suggest the individual had unlawfully accessed or extracted model weights, source code, or customer data.

Alfozan, a legal permanent resident of the United States since September 2020, holds degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley. Before joining OpenAI, he held positions at Meta and Microsoft. While a LinkedIn profile indicated his academic background, Reuters could not independently verify the information provided.

OpenAI and Trail of Bits, a startup reportedly in early talks to acquire Trail of Bits, declined to provide comment on the matter when reached for comment by Reuters.