Federal prosecutors warned that an alleged bugging of an OpenAI executive conference room by a Saudi national working as an engineer at the AI company could threaten U.S. national security, according to a court filing ahead of a detention hearing Monday in San Francisco.
Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, faces charges of using an electronic device to intercept oral communications. Prosecutors allege he planted a recording device in a television in OpenAI's San Francisco headquarters on September 28. The filing states that OpenAI executives met with government officials in that same room around the time of the alleged planting.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California asked the court to hold Alfozan without bail. Prosecutors cited his ties to Saudi Arabia, financial resources, and the fact that his wife and three-month-old son flew to Saudi Arabia shortly after his October 9 arrest.
Court documents show Alfozan had frequent WhatsApp communications throughout 2025 and 2026 with a member of the Saudi Royal Family. The filing quotes the royal telling Alfozan that Saudi Arabia was launching an artificial intelligence initiative and asking when he planned to leave OpenAI. Alfozan responded that he would not leave until his stock vested. Prosecutors did not identify the royal family member or state that the royal directed the alleged bugging.
Alfozan, who lives near San Francisco airport, is a venture partner at Raed Ventures, a Saudi venture capital firm. He was hired by OpenAI in July 2025 with an annual base salary of $325,000, later increased to $385,000. He received a new hire equity grant of $2.2 million. OpenAI fired him after his arrest.
Prosecutors argue Alfozan is a flight risk given his access to resources and apparent support from a foreign government with no extradition treaty with the United States. The Saudi military booked and paid for his wife and son's business-class flight from San Francisco to Doha, Qatar on October 10, according to the filing.
Alfozan has spent 15 years in the United States, working at Meta and other tech companies. He obtained a master's degree from UC Berkeley and is a legal permanent resident who has applied for naturalized citizenship.
His attorney, William Pernik, asked for his release with home detention, GPS monitoring, and a bond supported by the Saudi Consulate General. Alfozan faces a maximum five-year sentence if convicted.