US judge orders Saudi engineer held in OpenAI case
The suspect accused of planting a recording device at the company's San Francisco office will remain in custody without bail after being deemed a flight risk.
A US federal judge on Monday ordered the detention of Abdulrahman Alfozan, a former Saudi-based OpenAI employee, without bail, citing concerns of flight risk. Alfozan, 35, faces up to five years in prison for allegedly planting a recording device in a ChatGPT office and intercepting oral communications. The judge denied his attorneys' request for release, deeming his potential non-appearance significant.
Prosecutors argued that Alfozan had maintained frequent contact with a member of the Saudi royal family, a fact supported by WhatsApp messages showing interest in an AI initiative from Saudi Arabia. Alfozan was fired from OpenAI in October and arrested on the same day, according to court documents. His lawyer disputes the flight risk claim, citing a US naturalization interview scheduled for November and a family's departure to Saudi Arabia. The investigation is ongoing, with potential implications for national security.
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