Saudi national charged with planting a listening device at OpenAI offices

What the report says

US federal authorities have arrested and charged Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan over allegations that he hid a listening device in a conference room at OpenAI’s offices in California, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting based on a Justice Department statement and an FBI complaint. The case centers on an OpenAI workplace in San Francisco, where investigators said a small audio-recording device was found behind a television set in a meeting room in late September 2026.

Alfozan, 35, was working as an engineer at OpenAI at the time, and the Justice Department said he had been employed there since July 2025. The FBI alleges that after the device was discovered, OpenAI installed a camera in the room, which later recorded him checking behind the television. Prosecutors also said a similar device was found in his personal bag. He appeared in court on a charge related to attempting to intercept oral communications and is due back later in October.

OpenAI said it found no indication that model weights, source code or customer data were accessed or taken, and said the employee was terminated. In a statement cited by Al Jazeera, the company described the episode as a security matter involving an insider threat. The case has also drawn attention because it touches broader concerns about corporate espionage and the protection of sensitive AI research as major technology firms compete globally for talent and strategic advantage.