Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national and former OpenAI engineer, was scheduled to fly to Saudi Arabia on October 12, according to a court filing by US prosecutors. Alfozan has been accused of bugging OpenAI’s headquarters and booked a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia before his arrest, prosecutors allege.
The FBI arrested Alfozan on October 9 after OpenAI personnel reported finding a hidden listening device in a conference room at the company's San Francisco headquarters. He worked at OpenAI for approximately 15 months before being terminated last week.
Alfozan, 35, faces charges of “using or endeavoring to use an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications,” which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Prosecutors revealed the alleged flight booking to a judge on October 8 while seeking to seal the criminal complaint against Alfozan, arguing that he had the “means – and will have an incentive – to flee” the United States.
William Pernik, Alfozan’s lawyer, stated that they plan to contest the criminal allegations and his client's ongoing detention in court. Pernik emphasized that Alfozan is presumed innocent and deserves fair treatment and due process. He criticized the media narrative regarding Alfozan's national origin, suggesting it evokes historical injustices.
Alfozan’s arrest has raised concerns about potential spying and industrial espionage targeting tech firms amid the competitive landscape of artificial intelligence. Prior to his role at OpenAI, Alfozan worked as a systems engineer at Meta and interned at Microsoft, as indicated by his LinkedIn profile.
He is also identified as a venture partner at Raed Ventures, a Riyadh-based venture capital firm that includes Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud among its partners. In a statement from February 2025, Raed Ventures described Alfozan as “a seasoned professional with extensive experience in tech startups,” tasked with identifying investment opportunities and supporting startups.