Toilet paper and secret recorders: What we know about the arrest of the Saudi OpenAI engineer
Abdulrahman Alfozan had worked for the AI giant for more than a year before he was arrested by the FBI.
A Saudi engineer, Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, who worked for OpenAI, appeared in court this week in connection with allegedly installing a hidden recording device behind a television in one of the company's meeting rooms. The FBI arrested Alfozan on October 9 and charged him with attempting to intercept oral communications.
According to an official complaint filed in court, Alfozan, between August 17 and September 16, sought assistance from an AI assistant to discuss meeting room availability and details of ongoing meetings. The complaint also alleged that Alfozan used a chatbot associated with his spouse to inquire about building and installing a recording device and accessing it remotely in September.
Although Alfozan had no authority to access or participate in the meetings in the targeted room, CCTV footage captured him near the conference room on eight occasions in September. On September 30, OpenAI staff discovered a surreptitious audio recording device behind a television, wrapped in toilet paper. A camera was placed in the conference room, and on October 5, Alfozan was filmed entering the room and appearing to look behind the television where the device had been inserted.
Additional evidence discovered included another recording device, Alfozan's wallet, and ID in an unattended bag found in a different room. Despite the allegations, OpenAI stated that there was no indication that Alfozan had improperly accessed or exfiltrated model weights, source code, or customer data. OpenAI's contract with Alfozan was terminated following his arrest.
Alfozan's lawyer, William Pernik, described the allegations as "wholly out of character" for his client and requested that the public withhold judgment until all facts were known. Alfozan was presumed innocent, and a detention hearing was scheduled for October 19 to determine whether he should remain in custody. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Written by urgent.news from BBC World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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