What the court filing alleges
A Saudi national accused of secretly placing a recording device in an OpenAI meeting room had "considerable support" from the Saudi government, according to a California court filing reported by the BBC. Prosecutors named the defendant as Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old engineer who had worked for the AI company.
The filing says he was in "frequent communication... with a member of the Saudi royal family." On that basis, prosecutors argue he is a flight risk and should be kept in custody until his case is resolved. The BBC said the Saudi government did not immediately respond to its requests for comment.
How the device was found
Alfozan had been with OpenAI for about a year before the alleged attempt, according to the BBC's account of the filing. On 30 September, the company found an audio recorder plugged into the back of a television in a conference room. It had been concealed with toilet paper.
OpenAI then put a camera in the room. On 5 October, the footage allegedly showed Alfozan walking in and appearing to look behind the television, where the recorder had been connected. The FBI arrested him on 9 October, and OpenAI ended his contract.
Prosecutors say the conduct could pose "a danger to the national security of the United States." Their reasoning is that company executives met with government officials in that room during the days when the device is believed to have been in place.
Travel plans and the family's departure
The filing says Alfozan was due to travel from San Francisco to Riyadh three days after his arrest, with his wife and son, on tickets with no return leg. Prosecutors say that detail bears on whether he would stay to face the charges.
According to the document, his wife told FBI agents who interviewed her that "her US visa was expiring." She said she and her son were "permanently moving back to Saudi Arabia," and that her husband planned to follow.
On 10 October, the day after the arrest, the wife and son flew from San Francisco to Doha, Qatar. Prosecutors say a Saudi military official booked and paid for their business class ticket, which also had no return. "Ultimately, the defendant has little incentive to remain in the United States to see this case through," the prosecutors argued.
What happens next
Alfozan was scheduled to appear in federal court in San Francisco on Monday, when the question of detention before trial is expected to be addressed. The filing so far sets out the government's allegations, and the BBC's report does not include a response from the defendant.
If he is convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000, which the BBC converted to about £188,000.
