SAN FRANCISCO, United States — The FBI has arrested an OpenAI engineer accused of secretly installing a recording device in a conference room used by the company’s senior executives.
Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, a Saudi national, faces a federal charge of using or attempting to use an electronic device to intercept oral communications.
The arrest followed an internal security investigation that uncovered two recording devices and evidence that the employee had sought information about executive meeting locations.
Alfozan was arrested on October 9 and appeared before a federal court in San Francisco on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, according to the US Department of Justice.
OpenAI said it had dismissed the engineer and referred its findings to federal investigators.
The company said it had found no evidence that Alfozan had improperly obtained its artificial intelligence models, computer code, or customer information.
Recording Device Found in Executive Conference Room
Federal prosecutors said the investigation began after OpenAI security personnel discovered an unauthorised recording device during a routine inspection of an executive conference room at its San Francisco offices on September 30.
The equipment had been concealed with toilet paper behind a television and connected to one of the television’s USB ports.
Investigators said the device contained encrypted information and had apparently been installed about two days before its discovery.
The conference room was restricted to senior executives and authorised visitors. According to court documents, it was used for discussions involving proprietary research, commercial agreements, product development, and strategic business decisions.
Some meetings also involved government representatives and external business partners.
The Justice Department said Alfozan, who joined OpenAI as an engineer in July 2025, was not authorised to enter the room or attend the meetings held there.
Security-camera recordings nevertheless placed him near the restricted area on several occasions before the device was discovered, prosecutors alleged.
The company subsequently installed additional surveillance equipment inside the conference room.
Investigators Examine Chatbot Queries and Surveillance Footage
The federal criminal complaint describes digital records that investigators believe connect Alfozan to preparations for the alleged surveillance.
Prosecutors said he had used a workplace productivity tool to seek information about office buildings, meeting-room availability, conference-room capacities, and locations where executives met external partners.
Investigators also examined activity from a chatbot account associated with Alfozan’s spouse.
According to the complaint, the account shared identifying characteristics with Alfozan’s account and had been used to submit questions about constructing, concealing, operating, and remotely accessing audio-recording equipment.
Some queries concerned encryption, wireless connectivity, and continuous audio monitoring.
Other searches included technical identifiers that investigators associated with the device discovered inside OpenAI’s conference room.
The complaint does not establish that Alfozan’s spouse participated in the alleged offence.
Additional evidence emerged when surveillance footage recorded Alfozan entering the executive conference room on October 5.
Prosecutors alleged that he approached the television and appeared to inspect the location where the recording equipment had previously been installed.
On the same day, OpenAI security personnel examined a bag that Alfozan had left unattended elsewhere in the building.
Inside, they reportedly discovered his wallet, identification documents, and another recording device resembling the equipment recovered from the conference room.
OpenAI also told investigators that it had uncovered evidence suggesting the engineer intended to install additional devices.
OpenAI Says Its AI Tools Helped Identify Suspect
In a statement on X, OpenAI said its AI systems helped investigators understand the equipment and identify the employee believed to have installed it.
We discovered a sophisticated recording device that was hidden inside one of our offices. We used our models to understand the device and where it had come from, identifying that a specific employee had planted it a few days earlier. We referred the matter to the FBI, and we’re grateful to the agents and prosecutors who moved quickly to make an arrest. The FBI’s investigation is ongoing and we will continue to support their work.
At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data. The employee was terminated.
We take protecting our technology, data, and people seriously, and as a matter of national importance. Our security program is designed to protect against a wide range of threat actors, from insider risks to cybercriminals to nation states, and this case is an example of how AI can help address these sophisticated security threats.
— OpenAI Newsroom (@OpenAINewsroom) October 13, 2026
The company subsequently contacted the FBI and introduced further security checks.
“We used our models to understand the device and where it had come from, identifying that a specific employee had planted it a few days earlier,” OpenAI said.
The company stressed that its investigation had not identified evidence of unauthorised access to sensitive technological assets or customer information.
“At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data,” it said.
OpenAI also confirmed that the employee had been dismissed and that it was continuing to assist federal investigators.
Neither the criminal complaint nor the company’s public statements established that confidential conversations had been successfully recorded or transmitted to another party.
Federal authorities have not publicly identified a recipient for any potential recordings or established whether Alfozan was acting on behalf of another individual or organisation.
US Officials Cite National Security Concerns
The Justice Department has described the investigation as part of broader federal efforts to safeguard advanced American technology.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the allegations concerned an attempt to obtain sensitive discussions about OpenAI’s artificial intelligence research.
“Protecting American SI innovation is essential to safeguarding our nation’s economic strength and national security,” Patel said in a Justice Department statement.
US Attorney Craig Missakian also said the federal authorities regarded the protection of technological research and intellectual property as a national security priority.
The government’s statements did not identify an alleged foreign sponsor or establish an espionage motive.
Alfozan’s nationality was disclosed in the charging documents, but prosecutors have not alleged that the Saudi Arabian government directed or participated in the suspected activity.
Alfozan remains in federal custody pending further court proceedings.
His next appearance is scheduled for October 19 before US Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse, who is expected to conduct a detention hearing.
If convicted, the engineer could receive a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.
The case is being prosecuted by the National Security, Cyber and Special Prosecutions Section of the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California.
The FBI investigation remains active.
