Judge keeps ex-OpenAI engineer in custody over office bug as prosecutors cite Saudi ties

US Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse ruled on Monday that Abdulrahman Alfozan, a former OpenAI engineer accused of planting a recording device in a company conference room, should remain in custody pending trial. Wired reported that Tse questioned whether Alfozan is an "asset" for Saudi Arabia and how a bond backed by the government could keep him in the country. "It seems like a blank check," the judge said, and added: "There is a real threat here that once he leaves the case is over." [ 4 , 13 ]

Prosecutors made their case in an 11-page filing on Sunday. CBS News quoted investigators as alleging that on Sept. 28 Alfozan installed a "surreptitious audio recording device into a USB port on the back of a television in an executive OpenAI conference room". Business Insider reported that prosecutors wrote that OpenAI executives met with government officials in that room in the days around the installation, and that his conduct "could pose a danger to the national security of the United States". Fox News reported that he allegedly used an internal OpenAI tool to identify meeting rooms. [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]

Prosecutors said Alfozan had been in contact as recently as Oct. 5 with an unnamed member of the Saudi royal family, whom he frequently messaged on WhatsApp over two years. In May 2026, according to the filing, the individual told him "Saudi needs you more then [sic] the US!" and he replied "100". Fox News reported that the royal sought to recruit him for a Saudi artificial intelligence initiative, and that the filing does not allege Saudi Arabia directed the surveillance. Investigators are examining whether he sought to record meetings to advance his own business interests, aid a foreign government or both. [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]

Prosecutors also said Saudi officials helped Alfozan's wife and infant son leave the United States after his Oct. 9 arrest. PBS, citing AP, reported that the flight was a one-way ticket booked and paid for by a Saudi military official. CNBC reported that the wife and son flew from San Francisco to Doha on Oct. 10 in business class paid for by a member of the Saudi military. Business Insider reported that the booking was made on Oct. 11, despite an existing reservation for an Oct. 12 flight. The defense argued that Alfozan had bought one-way tickets to Saudi Arabia for his family more than two weeks before the alleged installation. [ 1 , 4 , 16 ]

Lawyer William Pernik asked for release on bail with home detention and GPS monitoring, offering $1 million in assets in addition to a letter from the Saudi consulate. Prosecutors cited the consulate's offer to work with a bail bonds firm and noted that Saudi Arabia has no extradition treaty with the US. Pernik said there is no evidence Alfozan spied for Saudi Arabia. The Saudi embassy did not respond to requests for comment. Prosecutors said the investigation is ongoing and "may result in additional serious charges". [ 1 , 5 , 13 , 16 ]