Prosecutors Allege 'Considerable Support' From Saudi Government for Ex-OpenAI Engineer Charged in Bugging Case

Since the FBI arrested Abdulrahman Alfozan on Oct. 9 over a recording device hidden in an OpenAI conference room, prosecutors have put a new claim on the record: the Saudi national appears to have had "considerable support" from the Saudi government.

The allegation is in a detention memo made public late Sunday, Oct. 18. Prosecutors filed it to keep Alfozan, 35, in custody until trial. He is scheduled to appear in federal court in San Francisco today, Oct. 19, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse is set to hear arguments on whether he should remain in custody. No ruling has been reported.

What prosecutors say about Saudi ties

Prosecutors say Alfozan was in frequent WhatsApp contact with an unnamed member of the Saudi royal family through 2025 and 2026. The last contact they cite was Oct. 5, four days before his arrest.

According to the filing, the royal told Alfozan an AI initiative was being launched in Saudi Arabia and wanted him to join it. In May 2026, the royal wrote: "Saudi needs you more then [sic] the US!" Alfozan answered "100." Prosecutors say that shows he agreed.

The filing also says the royal repeatedly tried to recruit him and asked when he planned to leave OpenAI. Alfozan said he would not leave until his stock vested.

Prosecutors did not identify the royal or say how Alfozan knew the person. The filing does not say the royal directed him to install a recording device at OpenAI or steal information from the company.

CNBC reported that Alfozan is a venture partner at Raed Ventures, a Saudi venture capital firm. A member of the royal family, Prince Khalid bin Bader Al Saud, joined that firm as a venture partner in 2025. Prosecutors did not name the prince or say the unidentified royal had ties to Raed.

The flights

Alfozan had planned a two-month parental leave and a flight to Riyadh. His wife told investigators that she and their son planned to move permanently to Saudi Arabia and that he eventually intended to join them, prosecutors say.

Prosecutors say the Saudi government and then a Saudi military member booked separate flights for his wife, Lujain Alassaf, and their three-month-old son after the arrest upended a family trip planned for Oct. 12. A military official paid for a one-way ticket for the two to return to Saudi Arabia, according to the filing. CNBC reported that the pair flew from San Francisco to Doha, Qatar, on Oct. 10.

"The defendant went to significant lengths to create customized, encrypted recording devices to secretly record highly sensitive meetings involving senior OpenAI personnel and executives, high-level business counterparts, and government officials," prosecutors wrote. They added that he did so "all while communicating with individuals of significance in Saudi Arabia and pursuing opportunities in — and making plans to travel to — Saudi Arabia."

The device and the national security claim

According to the criminal complaint, Alfozan plugged a recording device into the back of a television in an executive conference room at an OpenAI building in San Francisco. The complaint includes a photo that prosecutors say shows him peering behind the TV.

CNBC reported that the filing puts the installation on Sept. 28. OpenAI has said it discovered the device on Sept. 30 and referred the matter to the FBI.

OpenAI's security cameras caught him near the room several times, though he was not authorized to attend the high-level meetings held there, prosecutors say. They also say OpenAI executives met with government officials in that room around the time of the installation.

"Defendant's conduct could pose a danger to the national security of the United States," prosecutors wrote.

The defense

Alfozan's attorney, William Pernik, argues his client is not a flight risk. In a separate filing, Pernik said Alfozan learned OpenAI had found the device roughly eight to ten days before his arrest, based on OpenAI's own filings and public statements. "If his intention was to flee, he would have done so at that time," Pernik wrote.

Pernik also said prosecutors' earlier mention of a one-way ticket to Saudi Arabia lacks context. Seventy percent of the airline bookings in Alfozan's email since January 2021, 96 of 138, were one-way tickets, he wrote.

To secure release, Alfozan would accept GPS monitoring and home detention, surrender his passports, and agree not to travel outside Northern California, Pernik said. He also offered a bond co-signed by members of his Bay Area community and backed by a written undertaking from the Consulate General of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Prosecutors point to the opposite conclusion from the same facts: Saudi ties, financial resources, and a family that has already left the country.

Charges and what comes next

Alfozan is charged only with using an electronic device to intercept oral communications. No espionage charge has been filed. Prosecutors say the investigation remains active and additional charges could be brought. CNBC reported that the charge carries a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison.

The Saudi government media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the filing.

Judge Tse's decision on detention is the next concrete step. If he grants release, Alfozan's offer of a consulate-backed bond would put a Saudi government office in the position of guaranteeing his appearance.