Former OpenAI Employee Accused of Planting Surveillance Device with Saudi Backing
Theo Al Jazeera English
US federal prosecutors allege that former OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan, accused of planting a recording device in an executive conference room at the company's San Francisco headquarters, received substantial support from the Saudi government. Prosecutors say he was in frequent contact with an unnamed Saudi royal and that a Saudi military official paid for his wife and son's one-way flight home after his arrest.
US federal prosecutors allege that former OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan, charged with planting a recording device in an executive conference room at the AI company's headquarters, appears to have received substantial support from the Saudi government, according to court filings made public.
In a document submitted to the court late Sunday, prosecutors alleged that the defendant, Alfozan, 35, was in frequent contact with an unnamed member of the Saudi royal family. In addition, a Saudi military official paid for a one-way plane ticket home for Alfozan's wife and young son after his arrest.
The allegations surfaced as prosecutors asked a federal judge to keep Alfozan in the United States pending trial, arguing that he poses a flight risk. Alfozan, a Saudi national and lawful permanent US resident, is due to appear in federal court in San Francisco on Monday.
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In the detention memo, prosecutors wrote: "The defendant went to great lengths to create custom, encrypted recording devices to secretly capture highly sensitive meetings involving senior personnel and leadership of OpenAI, senior business partners, and government officials, while communicating with important figures in Saudi Arabia and pursuing opportunities and making plans to travel to Saudi Arabia."
Saudi Arabia's government communications office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Alfozan's lawyer also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier, lawyer William Pernik asked that Alfozan be released under conditions including location monitoring and surrender of his passport, saying his client has lived in the US for 15 years and has applied for citizenship. According to court records, the lawyer said Alfozan's planned trip to Saudi Arabia this month was booked before he came under investigation and was for "family and immigration" purposes.
Investigation is ongoing
Last week, US prosecutors charged Alfozan with using an electronic device to intercept oral communications. According to the criminal complaint, Alfozan plugged a recording device into the back of a television in an executive conference room in one of OpenAI's buildings in San Francisco.
According to prosecutors' detention memo, meetings involving government officials took place in that conference room around the time the device was installed.
Prosecutors said the investigation is ongoing and Alfozan could face additional charges.
According to messages cited by prosecutors, a member of the Saudi royal family sought to recruit Alfozan for an AI-focused role in Saudi Arabia, writing in one message: "Saudi needs you more than the US!" Alfozan replied: "100."
Before his arrest, Alfozan had planned to fly to Riyadh during a two-month parental leave. According to prosecutors, Alfozan's wife told investigators that she and their son intended to move permanently to Saudi Arabia and that Alfozan ultimately intended to reunite with them.
In an Arabic-language interview on the Identity Capital podcast last month, Alfozan said he returns to Saudi Arabia three or four times a year, follows developments there and advises or mentors Saudi startups.
He recounted that meeting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, then deputy crown prince, during a 2016 gathering with young Saudi tech workers in Silicon Valley persuaded him to learn at a leading tech company before bringing those skills home.
While working at Facebook, Alfozan and other Saudis in Silicon Valley founded a consulting initiative connecting Saudi public and private organizations with expertise in big data, the Internet of Things and machine learning.
OpenAI previously said it discovered the device on September 30 and referred the matter to the FBI. Al Jazeera has contacted the Saudi embassy for comment.
