OpenAI Bugging Suspect Allegedly Booked One-Way Flight to Saudi Arabia Before Arrest

Prosecutors have alleged that the Saudi national accused of bugging OpenAI’s headquarters had booked a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia prior to his arrest. Abdulrahman Alfozan, a former OpenAI engineer, was scheduled to depart for Saudi Arabia with his wife and another family member on October 12, according to a court filing unsealed on Wednesday. The FBI apprehended Alfozan on October 9, approximately 15 months after he began working at OpenAI and shortly before his termination. The arrest followed a report by OpenAI personnel regarding the discovery of a concealed listening device in a conference room at the company’s San Francisco headquarters.

Alfozan, 35, faces charges of “using or endeavoring to use an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications,” an offense that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Prosecutors informed a judge of the alleged flight booking on October 8, as part of a motion to seal the criminal complaint against Alfozan. They argued that he possessed both the “means – and will have an incentive – to flee” the United States.

William Pernik, Alfozan’s lawyer, stated that he and his client intend to contest the criminal allegations and the ongoing detention in court. "We trust that the American justice system will treat our client fairly, despite the narrative painted in the media at this time," Pernik told Al Jazeera. He further added, "Our client is a well regarded professional with long standing ties to the community. He is presumed innocent and is entitled to fair treatment and due process of law. The emphasis on his national origin and therefore suggestions of lack of trustworthiness or flight risk harken back to dark chapters of our nation’s history that we intend to fight fully."

Alfozan’s arrest has brought to light concerns that frontier technology firms are prime targets for spying and industrial espionage amidst the global competition to achieve dominance in AI. Prior to his tenure at OpenAI, which began in July of the previous year, Alfozan worked as a systems engineer at Meta and completed an internship at Microsoft, according to a LinkedIn profile attributed to him. Alfozan is also associated with Raed Ventures, a Riyadh-based venture capital firm, as a venture partner. The firm’s other partners include Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a member of the Saudi royal family. In a statement released in February 2025 announcing Alfozan’s appointment, Raed Ventures described him as “a seasoned professional with extensive experience in tech startups” and indicated his role would focus on “identifying promising investment opportunities and supporting startups on their journey toward growth and success.”