FBI probes possible Saudi espionage plot involving former OpenAI engineer - report

The FBI is investigating whether to pursue economic espionage charges against former OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national arrested for allegedly planting a recording device in a restricted conference room. Investigators are examining if he obtained confidential information to offer to the Saudi government, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The FBI is investigating whether to pursue economic espionage charges against former OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national arrested earlier this month for allegedly planting a recording device in a restricted conference room at the AI company, according to the Wall Street Journal. Investigators are examining whether Alfozan obtained confidential information to offer to the Saudi government, even without being recruited to do so, a law enforcement official told the WSJ. Authorities are also considering potential trade secret theft charges, though the investigation may not result in additional prosecution. Alfozan, 35, a US permanent resident, faces a federal charge of unlawfully intercepting communications, punishable by up to five years in prison. Prosecutors say he exchanged frequent WhatsApp messages with an unidentified member of the Saudi royal family in 2025 and 2026, who allegedly sought to recruit him for a Saudi AI initiative. Alfozan purchased one-way tickets to Saudi Arabia for himself, his wife, and their three-month-old son, and was arrested three days before their planned departure. He was denied bail after a judge determined he posed a significant flight risk. The Saudi Consulate in Los Angeles offered to cover his entire bail bond, which the judge called 'problematic.'