US judge orders former OpenAI engineer held without bail in spy case

A United States court on Monday granted a request to deny bail to former OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan, who is accused of bugging a top-secret executive conference room. Ars Technica and the Financial Times Tech both reported that prosecutors argued Alfozan had considerable support from a foreign government. CNBC and The Telegraph also reported that Alfozan was held without bail after the Saudi government offered to pay for his release. [1][2][3][4][5][6]

According to Ars Technica, United States attorney Craig Missakian filed court documents on Sunday arguing that Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national, must remain in custody while prosecutors demonstrate that he spied on OpenAI for personal business gain or to benefit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ars Technica reported that Federal Bureau of Investigation agents found a folder named "Saudi Gov Docs" and evidence that Alfozan chatted with a member of the Saudi royal family on WhatsApp. [2][6][12]

As FTMQ Tech reported earlier, federal authorities arrested Alfozan on October 9 for allegedly hiding a recording device behind a television inside an executive conference room. Alfozan had worked as an engineer at OpenAI since July 2025. Official records showed he booked a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia for October 12, and he faces up to five years in prison if convicted. [11][12]

United States prosecutors feared the Saudi government would help Alfozan flee the country to avoid spying charges, according to Ars Technica. Fox News reported that a foreign government helped the accused spy's family leave the United States following the scandal. Alfozan remains in federal custody while the court proceedings continue. [2][4][6][7]