Ex-OpenAI engineer charged with planting recording device had one-way flight booked to Saudi Arabia, DOJ says

The former OpenAI engineer charged with planting a recording device inside a conference room at the AI giant’s San Francisco office had a one-way flight booked to Saudi Arabia days before he was taken into federal custody, the Justice Department said.

Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national, had a flight booked for Oct. 12 — days after his arrest — for himself, his wife, and another relative, according to court documents.

Federal prosecutors cited his travel plans when asking a federal judge to seal the criminal complaint and arrest warrant against him, arguing that public knowledge of the case would prompt him to possibly flee the country.

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“Disclosure of the specified documents might jeopardize the defendant’s arrest,” court documents state.

In an Arabic podcast last month, Alfozan recalled meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his 2016 visit to Silicon Valley.

Alfozan said he had been contemplating whether to return to his native country. In response, the prince advised young Saudis living and working in Silicon Valley to refine their skills at premier tech companies before bringing their expertise home, the New York Post reported.

“You learn from the source and then, God willing, bring that experience and knowledge back to the homeland,” Alfozan reportedly said on the podcast.

Alfozan was arrested Oct. 9 and charged with using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications, according to the Department of Justice.

OpenAI discovered the encrypted device Sept. 30, plugged into a USB port on the back of a television in a conference room used for “highly confidential” discussions involving proprietary research, product plans and business opportunities, federal prosecutors said.

The device, concealed in toilet paper, had allegedly been installed two days earlier. OpenAI traced the device to Alfozan, and security footage showed him near the conference room multiple times, authorities said.

In addition, a chatbot associated with his wife was allegedly used to field prompts about ways to install and hide audio recording devices.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to Alfozan’s attorney for comment.