Saudi national charged with allegedly installing a hidden recording device at OpenAI

A Saudi national has been charged with allegedly installing a hidden recording device at OpenAI.

The Justice Department said that 35-year-old Abdulrahman Alfozan had been arrested and charged with using or endeavouring to use an electronic, mechanical or other device to intercept oral communications.

He was initially detained on 9 October and made an appearance in federal court on Tuesday.

Alfozan allegedly concealed a covert recording device inside OpenAI's executive conference room in San Francisco to capture "sensitive communications about the company's super intelligence technology", FBI Director Kash Patel said.

He had been working at the company as an engineer since July 2025, according to the Justice Department.

Around 30 September, staff discovered the alleged recording device in a USB port on the back of a TV in the conference room wrapped in toilet paper.

Alfozan was allegedly spotted near the executive conference room in CCTV footage on multiple dates before the device was discovered.

Conversations in the conference room "frequently involved discussions of highly confidential technical, commercial, and strategic information", the Justice Department said.

Before 28 September, Alfozan allegedly made multiple inquiries covering Open AI's building addresses, meeting rooms, and calendars.

A chatbot account associated with his spouse also submitted prompts between 24-30 September related to audio recording, along with building and remote accessing a device.

On 5 October, Alfozan allegedly went into the conference room and appeared to look behind the TV where the device was found. He also left a bag unattended, in which security found another recording device, it is claimed.

He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 (£188,000) fine followed by three years of supervised release if convicted.

OpenAI used its internal AI models to identify Alfozan and trace the device's origins.

A statement earlier released by the company said: "The FBI's investigation is ongoing and we will continue to support their work.

"At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data. The employee was terminated.

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"We take protecting our technology, data, and people seriously, and as a matter of national importance. Our security programme is designed to protect against a wide range of threat actors, from insider risks to cybercriminals to nation states, and this case is an example of how AI can help address these sophisticated security threats."

Jay Clayton, director of national intelligence, said: "This serious situation underscores why winning the global super intelligence race is a national security prerogative - and why President Trump's leadership in creating the Super Intelligence Force is so important.

"I thank Director Patel and our FBI partners for their diligence and swift action. The intelligence community remains committed to safeguarding America's cutting-edge intellectual property from foreign threats."

(c) Sky News 2026: Saudi national charged with allegedly installing a hidden recording device at OpenAI