FBI Arrests OpenAI Engineer Over Hidden Recording Device

US federal agents arrested a Saudi national who worked as an OpenAI engineer and charged him with installing a hidden audio recording device in an executive conference room at the company, the Justice Department said on Tuesday, October 13. The charges are allegations, and he has not been convicted. The case highlights growing security concerns around sensitive AI research as companies and governments compete for talent and technology.

What the Justice Department Alleges

• The accused is Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, who had worked as an OpenAI engineer since July 2025 and has been a US legal permanent resident since September 2020.

• OpenAI found the thumb-sized device plugged into a USB port on the back of a television in an executive conference room at one of its San Francisco buildings on September 30. According to an FBI complaint, it had a microphone, could connect to a camera, and had been concealed in toilet paper.

• It was allegedly installed on or about September 28, and its stored data was encrypted. Investigators later found a similar customised device in his personal bag.

• The complaint also says he used an AI productivity agent for about a month, through September 16, to look up meeting-room calendars and capabilities.

• If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

OpenAI’s Response

OpenAI said it used its internal AI models to identify who planted the device and trace its origins, and that it has evidence he intended to place more recording devices in sensitive areas of its offices. The company said it has no indications that he inappropriately accessed or took model weights, source code or customer data, and that the employee was terminated. It has referred the matter to the FBI, which is continuing its investigation.

Official Statement

FBI Director Kash Patel said the accused allegedly concealed the device to secretly capture sensitive communications about the company’s “super intelligence technology.” The Saudi embassy in Washington had not responded to a request for comment, and it was not immediately clear who his lawyer is.