| Updated 25 Oct, 2026 08:48
OpenAI logo on smartphone screen, October 16, 2026. © SOPA Images/Getty Images
The FBI is investigating whether a erstwhile OpenAI engineer, accused of installing a wiretap in the boardroom, intended to pass on secrets to Saudi Arabia.
As he said on Saturday, “Wall Street Journal’, citing a law enforcement representative, the U.S. national Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is considering charging economical espionage to erstwhile OpenAI engineer accused of placing a wiretap device in a reserved conference room.
A 35-year-old citizen of Saudi Arabia, Abdulrahman Alfozan, was arrested on 9 October after OpenAI, the founder of ChatGPT, discovered an encrypted recording device hidden behind the tv in the executive conference area in the San Francisco office.
He has now been accused of utilizing or attempting to usage a device to intercept oral communication; this crime is punishable by a punishment of up to 5 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000.
By "Wall Street Journal", investigators are presently investigating whether Alfozan stole information with the intention of handing it over to the Saudi government – even if he was not officially recruited to do so.
There is besides an investigation into the possible theft of business secrets.
A conviction for economical espionage may entail a punishment of up to 15 years in prison and a fine of $5 million for each charge.
His lawyer, William Pernik, reported that he had not received any information about a possible spy thread, adding in a conversation with ‘WSJ’that his client "will defend himself against these charges and accusations in court alternatively than in the press".
Pernik stressed that Alfozan was accused of violating national recording laws, and ‘not stealing business secrets or acting as a abroad agent’.
OpenAI and the Embassy of Saudi Arabia refused to comment in consequence to a diary request.
According to court documents, according to Alfozan's prosecution, who joined OpenAI in July 2025, he intended to evidence confidential discussions about the company's artificial intelligence technology.
He was to keep frequent contact with an undisclosed associate of the Saudi royal household in the years 2025 and 2026, with whom he discussed the anticipation of working on an initiative involving artificial intelligence in that kingdom.
His connections besides included serving in the Saudi investment firm Raed Ventures, alongside Prince Khalid bin Bader Al Saud – although it was not specified whether this was the royal household member.
According to the prosecutor's office, Alfozan booked tickets to Saudi Arabia for himself, his wife and their small boy for October 12.
After Alfozan's arrest, a flight for his household was arranged, as reported, by a associate of the Saudi Armed Forces; according to Alfozan's lawyer, he was his wife's brother-in-law, acting privately.
The Saudi Arabia Consulate declared to cover the full amount of bail, to supply supervision and to hold the defendant's travel documents, and the defence offered additional safety in the form of his $1 million worth of assets.
Still, on Monday, the justice of Alex G's room. Tse rejected the request for release from custody, indicating the hazard of escape and specifying the proposal as "problematic".
“It looks like a blank check: “we will pay as much as the court asks to get out.” – stated the justice while noting that Saudi Arabia does not have an extradition agreement with the US.
Jay Clayton, appointed early this period by U.S. president Donald Trump to be head of the national Artificial Intelligence Task Force (AI), stated that this case shows that winning the AI race is ‘National safety issue’.
He besides assured that he would take action to protect "state-of-the-art American intellectual property against threats from the outside".
The incidental takes place during a increasing global technological rivalry, and president Trump stresses that America must at all costs win the race for dominance in the field of artificial intelligence.
The U.S. president has repeatedly rejected calls from technology manufacture leaders to slow down work on increasingly powerful AI models, arguing that "Who wins the race in the field of artificial intelligence, wins everything".
Translated by Google Translator
source:https://rt-english.com/news/647627-saudi-man-bugged-openai-espionage/
