Law & Justice

Saudi National Accused of Bugging OpenAI Booked One‑Way Flight to Saudi Arabia

By John Power

A Saudi national, Abdulrahman Alfozan, was scheduled to fly to Saudi Arabia on October 12, according to a court filing released by U.S. prosecutors. Alfozan, a former OpenAI engineer who worked there for about 15 months until his termination last week, was arrested by the FBI on October 9 after OpenAI staff discovered a hidden listening device in a conference room at the company’s San Francisco headquarters. He is charged with using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Prosecutors disclosed the flight booking to a judge on October 8 in a motion to seal the criminal complaint, arguing that Alfozan had the means and incentive to flee the United States. Alfozan’s lawyer, William Pernik, said his client would contest the criminal allegations and his detention. Pernik told Al Jazeera that Alfozan is a well‑regarded professional with long‑standing ties to the community and that he is presumed innocent and entitled to fair treatment and due process.

Alfozan’s arrest has highlighted concerns that frontier tech firms may be targets for spying and industrial espionage amid the global race to gain an advantage in AI. Before joining OpenAI in July last year, Alfozan worked as a systems engineer at Meta and interned at Microsoft, according to his LinkedIn profile. He is also listed as a venture partner at Raed Ventures, a Riyadh‑based venture capital firm whose other partners include Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. In February 2025, Raed Ventures announced Alfozan’s appointment, describing him as a seasoned professional with extensive experience in tech startups and noting that his role would involve identifying promising investment opportunities and supporting startups on their growth journey.