FBI arrests OpenAI engineer over hidden conference room recorder

The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national, on October 9 after prosecutors say he planted a hidden recording device in an executive conference room at OpenAI's San Francisco office. Federal prosecutors announced the charge on Tuesday, and Alfozan made his first court appearance the same day in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.theglobeandmail.com+1

The charge matters because it is the first known criminal case involving an insider allegedly planting surveillance equipment inside one of the leading artificial intelligence companies. OpenAI said it discovered the device, used its own AI models to trace it to an employee, and reported the matter to the FBI. The company said it has no indication that model weights, source code, or customer data were inappropriately accessed or exfiltrated.cbsnews.com+1

What prosecutors allege

Prosecutors say Alfozan was charged with using or endeavouring to use an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications. According to the criminal complaint, the device was concealed in toilet paper and inserted into a USB port on the back of a television in an executive conference room. OpenAI said the room was used to discuss highly confidential and proprietary matters, including research, product plans, and business development.

FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that Alfozan allegedly concealed a covert recording device inside his employer's executive conference room to secretly capture sensitive communications. Patel said the alleged goal was to capture information about the company's AI product. Alfozan worked at OpenAI as an engineer starting in July 2025, and OpenAI confirmed he was fired after the discovery.

OpenAI employees discovered the device on 30 September, about two days after prosecutors say it was installed. OpenAI said it used its AI models to understand the device and where it had come from, identifying that a specific employee had planted it a few days earlier. The company said the device contained advanced encryption, audio monitoring capabilities, and a mechanism for transferring data designed to evade monitoring.

How the device was found

On 5 October, prosecutors say Alfozan returned to the conference room and looked behind the television where the device was installed; a camera OpenAI had added to the room captured him. Closed-circuit television footage also showed him near the conference room on about six occasions the previous month despite having no authority to access the space, the complaint says.

The 5 October return and the bag

That same day, Alfozan left a bag unattended in another room of the building. OpenAI security personnel opened it and found his identification, wallet, and another recording device similar to the one planted in the conference room, according to the complaint. Prosecutors used the footage and the recovered items to link him to the scene.