Ex-OpenAI worker accused of planting device had Saudi support says court filing
The Saudi government did not immediately respond to BBC requests for comment.
Former OpenAI employee accused of planting device had Saudi backing, court filing says
A Saudi national accused of secretly placing a recording device in one of OpenAI’s meeting rooms had “considerable support” from the Saudi government, according to a court filing in California, external.
US prosecutors said Abdulrahman Alfozan, who worked for the AI company, was in “frequent communication... with a member of the Saudi royal family”, and said a member of the country’s military paid for a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia for his wife and son after his arrest.
They argued that the 35-year-old engineer was therefore a flight risk and should be held in custody while awaiting trial.
The Saudi government did not immediately reply to BBC requests for comment.
Alfozan had been employed by OpenAI for about a year before he allegedly tried to plant an audio recorder.
The company found the device, which had been plugged into the back of a TV in a conference room and hidden with toilet paper, on 30 September.
A camera was then installed in the room, and on 5 October Alfozan was filmed going in and appearing to check behind the television where the recorder had been placed.
He was arrested by the FBI on 9 October, and OpenAI ended his contract.
The filing said the alleged conduct could create “a danger to the national security of the United States”, because executives from the tech firm met with government officials in the room during the period when the device was believed to have been installed.
It said Alfozan was arrested three days before he was due to fly from San Francisco to Riyadh on a one-way trip with his wife and son.
After the arrest, the document says the defendant’s wife told FBI agents in an interview that “her US visa was expiring” and that she and her son were “permanently moving back to Saudi Arabia”, while her husband planned to do the same.
On 10 October, the day after Alfozan’s arrest, his wife and son flew from San Francisco to Doha, Qatar. They travelled on a one-way business class ticket that was booked and paid for by a Saudi military official.
“Ultimately, the defendant has little incentive to remain in the United States to see this case through,” prosecutors said.
The FBI investigation is continuing.
Alfozan is due to appear in federal court in San Francisco later on Monday. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 (£188,000) fine.