An OpenAI engineer has been arrested and charged with allegedly attempting to intercept private communications after investigators found a concealed audio recording device in an executive conference room at the artificial intelligence company, the US Department of Justice said.
Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, a Saudi Arabian national employed by OpenAI since July 2025, was arrested on 9 October and made his initial appearance in federal court on Tuesday, according to the department.
The complaint alleges that OpenAI employees discovered a covert audio recording device connected to a USB port on the back of a television in an executive conference room at one of the company’s San Francisco offices on or around 30 September. The device, which investigators said had been concealed in toilet paper, was allegedly installed around 28 September, and its contents were encrypted.
According to the complaint, security camera footage showed Alfozan near the conference room on several occasions before the device was discovered, despite his having no authorization to access or participate in meetings there.
The meetings frequently covered highly confidential technical, commercial and strategic matters, including proprietary research, product plans, business development, the company’s technological progress, government engagements and commercial relationships.
Investigators also alleged that Alfozan had used a productivity tool to make multiple inquiries about OpenAI’s office locations, meeting rooms, room capacities and calendars, executive locations and meetings with external partners.
The complaint further cites prompts submitted between 24 September and 30 September through a chatbot account associated with Alfozan’s spouse. Prosecutors said the account shared several identifiers and attributes with Alfozan’s own account and contained queries about building, customizing, installing and concealing an audio recording device, as well as encrypting its storage and enabling remote access.
The account also allegedly submitted prompts specifically referring to the first recording device, including its custom header and unique media access control (MAC) address, between 27 September and 28 September.
On 5 October, Alfozan allegedly entered the executive conference room and appeared to look behind the television where the first device had been installed. On the same day, he reportedly left a bag unattended in another room in an OpenAI building. Company security personnel opened the bag and discovered a second recording device similar to the first, alongside his wallet and identification documents, according to the complaint.
US officials described the case as a national security concern, citing the importance of protecting American artificial intelligence research and intellectual property.
‘The FBI considered protecting US advances in artificial intelligence a major counterintelligence priority’
‘This serious situation underscores why winning the global superintelligence race is a national security prerogative,’ Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said, thanking FBI Director Kash Patel and investigators for their work.
Patel said the FBI considered protecting US advances in artificial intelligence a major counterintelligence priority. Craig H Missakian, the US attorney for the Northern District of California, said the case highlighted efforts to prosecute those suspected of attempting to steal American technology.
The FBI is investigating the case. Assistant US Attorney Nicolas Parker is prosecuting it with assistance from Kate Tagert of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
If convicted, Alfozan faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, followed by up to three years of supervised release.
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