OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan was arrested after a hidden, encrypted recording device was found in an executive conference room at the company’s San Francisco office. The DOJ said he was not authorised to access the room.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday (local time) said an employee at artificial intelligence (AI) company OpenAI had been arrested and charged with using, or attempting to use, an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications. The arrest followed the discovery of a “sophisticated recording device” in an executive conference room.
Here’s what we know
Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national employed as an engineer at OpenAI, was arrested on 9 October in connection with the case. A criminal complaint states that an OpenAI employee found a hidden audio-recording device around 30 September, plugged into a USB port behind a television in an executive conference room at one of the company’s San Francisco offices. The device, wrapped in toilet paper, was believed to have been placed there around 28 September. OpenAI found that its stored data was encrypted.
The DOJ said Alfozan was not authorised to access the conference room where the device was found. Surveillance footage showed him near the room several times before the device was discovered. On 5 October, he allegedly entered the room to retrieve it.
An unattended bag belonging to Alfozan was also found on 5 October. It contained his wallet, identification, and another recording device similar to the one discovered in the conference room.
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FBI Director Kash Patel said: “According to the complaint unsealed today, Abdulrahman Alfozan allegedly concealed a covert recording device inside his employer’s executive conference room to secretly capture sensitive communications about the company’s superintelligence technology.”
OpenAI said Alfozan had planted the device a few days before it was discovered and that the FBI “moved quickly to make an arrest”. The company said it had terminated his employment.
“At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data,” OpenAI said in a post. It added that it takes protecting its “technology, data, and people seriously, and as a matter of national importance”.
Who is Abdulrahman Alfozan?
According to his LinkedIn profile, Alfozan worked as an engineering leader at OpenAI. He holds a degree in computer science and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in data science from the University of California, Berkeley.
His career began with a software engineering internship at Akamai Technologies in 2012, followed by a similar role at SAP in 2013 and a programme management internship at Microsoft in 2014. He worked as a systems engineer at Reach Labs in 2015 and as a senior systems engineer at Meta between 2017 and 2022. He then served as a founding engineer at Nash until August 2025 and has been listed as a venture partner at RAED Ventures since 2025. Alfozan joined OpenAI in September last year.
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Swati Gandhi
Swati Gandhi is a digital journalist with over four years of experience, specialising in international and geopolitical issues. Her work focuses on foreign policy, global power shifts, and the political and economic forces shaping international relations, with a particular emphasis on how global developments affect India. She approaches journalism with a strong belief in context-driven reporting, aiming to break down complex global events into clear, accessible narratives for a wide readership.<br><br> Previously, Swati has worked at Business Standard, where she covered a range of beats including national affairs, politics, and business. This diverse newsroom experience helped her build a strong grounding in reporting, while also strengthening her ability to work across both breaking news and in-depth explanatory stories. Covering multiple beats early in her career has helped her be informed about her current work, allowing her to connect domestic developments with wider international trends.<br><br> At Live Mint, she focuses on international and geopolitical issues through a business and economic lens, examining how global political developments, foreign policy decisions, and power shifts impact markets, industries, and India’s strategic and economic interests.<br><br> She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English (Honours) from the University of Delhi and a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. Her academic training has shaped her emphasis on precision, analytical rigour, and clarity in writing. Her interests include global political economy and the intersection of geopolitics with business.<br><br> Outside work, Swati focuses on exploring her passion and love for food. From fancy cafes to street spots, Swati explores food like a true foodie.