Accused OpenAI spy had folder called “Saudi Gov Docs,” FBI says

What happened

A US court on Monday ordered former OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan to remain detained pending trial over allegations that he secretly recorded sensitive company meetings. Prosecutors cited alleged Saudi connections and government-funded travel as evidence of flight risk. The FBI said he accessed an iPhone folder called “Saudi Gov Docs,” but its contents were not disclosed, and prosecutors acknowledged he may have acted for personal gain rather than a foreign government.

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The story so far

A US court ordered former OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan to remain detained pending trial on a charge of using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications, after OpenAI found a recording device in an executive conference room and fired him. Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse ordered his continued detention after prosecutors cited alleged Saudi connections and government-funded travel as evidence of flight risk. Prosecutors acknowledged that Alfozan may have acted for personal gain rather than a foreign government. According to the FBI account reported by Ars Technica, the device was hidden behind a television in a restricted conference room, and its contents were encrypted when OpenAI discovered it. The FBI alleged that a camera installed afterward captured Alfozan attempting to retrieve it. The Decoder reported that the indictment cites prompts in his wife’s chatbot account about continuous recording, Wi-Fi, live listening and SD card encryption, including identifiers matching the recovered device. OpenAI said it used its models to understand the device and identify the employee before referring the matter to the FBI. The company said its investigation remained ongoing and it had no indications of inappropriate access to or exfiltration of model weights, source code or customer data.