Prosecutors call Saudi suspect and ex-OpenAI worker Abdulrahman Alfozan 'an ongoing danger'
US prosecutors said on Monday that Abdulrahman Alfozan , a Saudi citizen accused of hiding a recording device at OpenAI's headquarters “presents an ongoing danger” and should not be released from custody. In a court filing, the US Justice Department responded to a request from Mr Alfozan's lawyer in California that sought to grant his release amid the continuing investigation, which is expected…
Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national and former OpenAI employee, has been labeled an "ongoing danger" and denied release by US prosecutors. The Justice Department argues that Alfozan's actions, including hiding a recording device at OpenAI's San Francisco headquarters, present a flight risk and potential danger to the community.
Alfozan, who worked at OpenAI from July of last year, was arrested on October 8 and accused of using an electronic device to intercept oral communications. Prosecutors claim that Alfozan's wife and son traveled back to Saudi Arabia shortly after his arrest, with his wife revealing plans to permanently move there. The device planted at OpenAI was a Chinese-made Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32-S3, designed for development purposes.
Prior to his arrest, Alfozan had worked at Meta, Microsoft, and SAP, and earned degrees from MIT and UC-Berkeley. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, along with three years of supervised release.
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