US prosecutors allege Saudi royal links in OpenAI bugging case

A former OpenAI engineer is accused of hiding a covert audio recorder in one of the company’s executive conference rooms. According to US prosecutors, the device was tucked inside toilet paper and plugged into the back of a television. That would be odd enough on its own. Prosecutors are now alleging the engineer, Abdulrahman Alfozan, kept up frequent contact with Saudi government figures and an unnamed member of the Saudi royal family, which turns a strange workplace incident into a national security story. What prosecutors say happened Alfozan, 35, allegedly installed the device on or about September 28, 2026. It did not stay hidden long. A security sweep turned it up on September 30, 2026. The concealment method, reportedly a roll of toilet paper, suggests a plan that was creative but not exactly built to survive professional scrutiny. Authorities arrested Alfozan on October 9. He faces a charge of intercepting oral communications, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The charges were unsealed on October 13, 2026. Alfozan remains in custody while he awaits a detention hearing. Prosecutors also claim Alfozan used AI tools to help plan the i...