OpenAI engineer charged over hidden recording device, had one-way flight to Saudi Arabia

An OpenAI engineer has been charged with planting a hidden audio recording device inside the company’s San Francisco office. Federal prosecutors say he had also booked a one-way ticket to Saudi Arabia. The accused, 35-year-old Abdulrahman Alfozan, was arrested on October 9, 2026. His flight was scheduled for October 12, which left investigators a three-day window to spare. A bug in the toilet paper The device itself was roughly the size of a thumb, equipped with a microphone and advanced encryption. Investigators say it was tucked inside toilet paper and plugged into a television’s USB port. The device was allegedly installed on or about September 28, 2026. OpenAI found it on September 30 during what the company described as a routine security sweep. Once the device turned up, OpenAI launched an internal investigation. The company reportedly used its own AI models to help trace the device back to Alfozan. What prosecutors say they have Alfozan joined OpenAI as an engineer in July 2025. That means he had been at the company a little over a year when the device was discovered. According to the evidence cited by federal prosecutors, CCTV footage showed Alfozan near the room where the ...