Federal prosecutors said Abdulrahman Alfozan, a former OpenAI engineer charged in connection with a recording device found at the company’s San Francisco office, had a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia booked for Oct. 12. Court documents say the reservation covered Alfozan, his wife and another relative. The date was three days after his arrest on Oct. 9.
Prosecutors cited the travel plans in asking a federal judge to keep the criminal complaint and arrest warrant sealed. They argued that making the case public could lead Alfozan to leave the country and jeopardize his arrest. The filings stated that disclosure of the documents could put the arrest at risk.
The Justice Department charged Alfozan, 35, a Saudi national, with using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications. The charge concerns a device OpenAI discovered on Sept. 30 in a conference room at its San Francisco office. According to prosecutors, it was connected to a USB port on the back of a television in a room used for discussions about confidential company matters, including research, product plans and business opportunities.
Prosecutors allege the device had been placed in the room two days before it was found and was concealed in toilet paper. They said OpenAI traced it to Alfozan and that security footage showed him near the conference room on multiple occasions. These are allegations in court filings; the supplied account does not report a conviction or court finding establishing them.
The filings also allege that a chatbot associated with Alfozan’s wife was used to ask questions about installing and concealing audio recording equipment. The source material does not provide further detail about those prompts or identify a separate charge relating to them.
The article also describes comments Alfozan reportedly made on an Arabic-language podcast the previous month. He recalled meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the prince’s 2016 visit to Silicon Valley and said he had considered returning to Saudi Arabia. According to the account, Alfozan said the crown prince had urged young Saudis working in Silicon Valley to build expertise at leading technology companies before bringing their skills back home.
The source says Fox News Digital sought comment from Alfozan’s attorney. It does not include a response from the attorney or a statement from Alfozan about the charges. The flight booking and prosecutors’ arguments about possible flight risk are presented as information in court documents, not as a determination that Alfozan intended to evade the case.
