US denies bail to former OpenAI worker accused of planting recorder
US prosecutors allege Abdulrahman Alfozan had "considerable support" from the Saudi government, including contact with a royal and a military-funded flight for his family.
A Saudi national charged with secretly planting a recording device in one of OpenAI's meeting rooms has been accused of having "considerable support" from the Saudi government, according to a court filing in California.
US prosecutors claimed Abdulrahman Alfozan, who worked for the ChatGPT-maker, was in "frequent communication" with a member of the Saudi royal family, and said a member of the country's military paid for a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia for his wife and son after his arrest. The 35-year-old engineer was deemed a flight risk and denied bail on Monday, pending a trial. The Saudi government did not respond to BBC requests for comment.
Alfozan had worked at OpenAI for around a year before he allegedly attempted to plant an audio recorder. The company discovered the device, plugged into the back of a television in a conference room and covered with toilet paper, on 30 September. A camera was placed in the room, and on 5 October Alfozan was filmed entering and appearing to look behind the television where the recorder had been inserted. He was arrested by the FBI on 9 October and his contract with OpenAI was terminated.
The court filing claimed the suspect's alleged conduct could pose "a danger to the national security of the United States", because executives from the tech firm met government officials in the room during the days the device is believed to have been installed. It said his arrest came three days before he was scheduled to fly from San Francisco to Riyadh on a one-way itinerary with his wife and son.
Following the arrest, the document claims, Alfozan's wife told FBI agents who interviewed her that "her US visa was expiring" and that she and her son were "permanently moving back to Saudi Arabia", with her husband intending to do the same. On 10 October, the day after his arrest, his wife and son flew from San Francisco to Doha, Qatar, on a one-way business class ticket booked and paid for by a Saudi military official. "Ultimately, the defendant has little incentive to remain in the United States to see this case through," the prosecutors argued.
US district judge Alex Tse on Monday denied Alfozan's attorneys' request for his release on bail, saying "there is a risk of non-appearance that is significant". The FBI investigation is ongoing. Alfozan was scheduled to appear in federal court in San Francisco later on Monday. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.