U.S. federal agents have arrested Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national who worked as an engineer at OpenAI, over allegations that he installed a concealed audio-recording device in an executive conference room at the company’s San Francisco offices. The Justice Department announced the charge on Tuesday. Alfozan, 35, had worked at OpenAI since July 2025 and has been a lawful permanent resident of the United States since September 2020.
According to the FBI complaint, the thumb-sized device was installed around Sept. 28 and discovered on Sept. 30, plugged into a USB port behind a television. Concealed in toilet paper, it contained a microphone and could connect to a camera. Investigators were unable to access its encrypted stored data. They said they later found a similar customized device in Alfozan’s bag.
OpenAI said it used internal AI models to identify the person it believes planted the device and trace where it came from. The company also said it had evidence that the employee planned to place more recording devices in sensitive office areas. It said it has found no indication that model weights, source code or customer data were improperly accessed or taken. OpenAI terminated the employee and referred the matter to the FBI, which continues to investigate.
Investigators also allege that Alfozan used an AI productivity agent to seek information about meeting-room calendars and capabilities for about a month through Sept. 16. The Saudi embassy did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Alfozan faces up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release if convicted. The allegations have not been proven in court.
OpenAI said it fired three researchers for violating policies on sensitive information. In a letter, the researchers said the dismissals could make employees less willing to raise safety concerns.