FBI arrests Saudi National for allegedly installing hidden audio recorder at OpenAI office

A 35-year-old Saudi national employed as an engineer by the artificial intelligence research and deployment company OpenAI has been arrested in the US for allegedly installing a covert audio recording device inside an executive conference room at the company to secretly capture sensitive communications, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said.

A 35-year-old Saudi national employed as an engineer by the artificial intelligence research and deployment company OpenAI has been arrested in the US for allegedly installing a covert audio recording device inside an executive conference room at the company to secretly capture sensitive communications, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said. According to a press release issued by the FBI, Abdulrahman Alfozan was arrested on October 9 and made his initial appearance in federal court on Tuesday.

He has been charged with using or attempting to use an electronic, mechanical or other device to intercept oral communications. The complaint alleges that Alfozan concealed an audio recording device inside a USB port on the back of a television in an executive conference room at an OpenAI building in San Francisco. The device, which had reportedly been concealed in toilet paper, was discovered by OpenAI personnel on or about September 30, with its contents found to be encrypted.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the device was allegedly intended to capture sensitive information relating to the company's advanced artificial intelligence technology. “According to the complaint unsealed today, Abdulrahman Alfozan allegedly concealed a covert recording device inside his employer’s executive conference room to secretly capture sensitive communications about the company’s super intelligence technology,” Patel said.

“Protecting American SI innovation is essential to safeguarding our nation’s economic strength and national security, and the FBI views that mission as one of our highest counterintelligence priorities. Thank you to Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton and our law enforcement partners for their support—and we will continue working closely with our partners across the U.S. government and private sector to keep American businesses and citizens safe and to ensure our country maintains its competitive edge,” he added. The FBI said the executive conference room was frequently used for discussions involving highly confidential technical, commercial and strategic information, including proprietary research, product plans, business-development opportunities, the company's technical progress, government engagements and commercial relationships.

According to the complaint, CCTV footage showed Alfozan near the conference room on multiple occasions before the recording device was discovered, despite him having no authority to access or participate in meetings held there. Investigators also alleged that, before September 28, Alfozan used a productivity tool to make multiple enquiries concerning OpenAI's building addresses, meeting rooms, room capacities and calendars, the locations of senior leadership and executive personnel, and meetings with external partners.

The complaint further alleges that a chatbot account associated with Alfozan's spouse, which shared multiple identifiers and attributes with his own account, submitted prompts between September 24 and September 30 concerning the construction, customisation, installation, testing, concealment and remote access of an audio recording device. The prompts reportedly included enquiries about “build[ing] a continuous audio recorder", “customiz[ing] Wi-Fi . . . connectivity", “improv[ing] audio and live listening", and “encrypt[ing] the SD card", among other subjects.

According to the complaint, the same chatbot account also submitted prompts specifically related to the device discovered at OpenAI, including references to its custom header and unique MAC address, between September 27 and September 28. The complaint additionally alleges that on October 5, Alfozan entered the executive conference room and appeared to look behind the television where the first recording device had been installed.

On or about the same date, OpenAI security personnel reportedly discovered a second recording device, similar to the first, inside a bag that Alfozan had left unattended in another room in an OpenAI building. The bag also contained items, including his wallet and identification, the complaint stated. Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton linked the case to broader concerns over the protection of advanced technology and national security.

“This serious situation underscores why winning the global super intelligence race is a national security prerogative — and why President Trump’s leadership in creating the Super Intelligence Force is so important,” Clayton said. “I thank Director Patel and our FBI partners for their diligence and swift action. The intelligence community remains committed to safeguarding America’s cutting-edge intellectual property from foreign threats,” he added.

US Attorney Craig H. Missakian for the Northern District of California said the case highlighted the importance of protecting technological innovation and prosecuting alleged attempts to steal sensitive information. “The Bay Area and Silicon Valley lead the world in developing tomorrow’s technology, and our Office will continue to stand at the forefront of protecting that American innovation,” Missakian said.

“For us it is a matter of national security. This arrest highlights our relentless efforts in partnership with the FBI to identify and prosecute those who seek to steal our technology, as alleged in the complaint,” he added. The FBI is investigating the case. Assistant US Attorney Nicolas Parker for the Northern District of California is prosecuting it, with assistance from Trial Attorney Kate Tagert of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

If convicted, Alfozan faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of USD 250,000 and up to three years of supervised release, according to the FBI. (ANI)