Former OpenAI engineer accused of bugging a conference room was days from fleeing to Saudi Arabia, prosecutors say

Summary

Federal prosecutors say Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national and former OpenAI engineer charged with secretly installing a recording device in a conference room to glean company details, was "mere days" away from leaving for Saudi Arabia before his arrest last week. Prosecutors said his wife and young son left the country the day after his arrest on a one-way ticket booked and paid for by a Saudi military official. In a memo filed Sunday seeking his continued detention, prosecutors wrote that he has ample resources and what appears to be considerable support from a foreign government. A federal judge in San Francisco sided with prosecutors on Monday and denied a request to release him to home confinement. His lawyer, William Pernik, argued that Alfozan has strong U.S. ties, a naturalization interview scheduled for next month, and has been a lawful permanent resident since 2020, and said he would put up almost the entirety of his assets, about $1 million, to cover bond. Judge Alex Tse appeared doubtful, questioning whether Saudi Arabia's government would simply reimburse Alfozan if he fled and forfeited the bond. His next court date is in November.

Timeline

1. Fast Company

   20 Oct 2026, 14:26 UTCSource ↗

   Fast Company reports that federal prosecutors revealed in new court filings that former OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan was "mere days" away from absconding to Saudi Arabia before his arrest, and that a federal judge in San Francisco denied his lawyers' request for home confinement.