Slashdot has reported:

A Saudi national employed by OpenAI was arrested after a covert recording device was found hidden in the company’s executive conference room, the U.S. Department of Justice said. Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, was arrested in connection with the case. OpenAI said an employee planted the device a few days before it was discovered and was terminated; the FBI moved quickly to make an arrest, according to the company’s statement.

FBI Director Kash Patel said Alfozan “allegedly concealed a covert recording device inside his employer's executive conference room to secretly capture sensitive communications about the company's super intelligence technology.” The device was described as sophisticated. OpenAI said it had no indication that Alfozan improperly accessed or removed model weights, source code or customer data.

“At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data,” OpenAI said. “We take protecting our technology, data and people seriously, and as a matter of national importance.”

Alfozan is also listed as a partner at Raed Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on the Middle East and North Africa. On Feb. 6, 2025, the firm announced that H.H. Prince Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud, a member of the Saudi royal family, had joined as a venture partner. Raed announced Alfozan’s appointment two days later.

The announcement listed Meta, Microsoft and SAP among Alfozan’s previous roles and said he studied computer science and engineering at MIT. The arrest followed the device’s discovery in the executive conference room; the sources did not provide further details about the circumstances of the arrest or any next steps in the case.