Toilet Paper and Hidden Recorders: What We Know About the Arrest of a Saudi OpenAI Engineer

Abdulrahman Alfouzan worked for the AI giant for over a year before being arrested by the FBI.

A Saudi national who worked for OpenAI appeared in court this week accused of installing a hidden recording device behind a television set in one of the tech giant's meeting rooms.

Abdul Rahman Al-Fouzan, a 35-year-old engineer, was arrested by the FBI and charged with using or attempting to use a device "to intercept oral communications."

It remains unclear what he intended to do with the recordings.

According to a formal complaint (a document filed in court), the engineer asked the AI to help him listen to AI discussions.

Between August 17 and September 16, Alfuzan reportedly asked an AI assistant several questions about meeting rooms and their availability.

Some of the details in the complaint include "in the case of external partners, where do they usually meet with OpenAI" and "can you list today's meeting in this room".

The complaint also alleged that in September, Alfozan used a chatbot associated with his wife to ask how to build and install the recording device and how to access it remotely.

Alfozan had worked at this company for about a year before he allegedly attempted to install a recording device.

The room where the device was found was regularly used for meetings to discuss "highly confidential technical, business and strategic information" as well as OpenAI's "government commitments and business relationships," the complaint states.

Alfozan had no authority to access or participate in meetings in the room, the complaint states.

But CCTV footage captured him on eight separate occasions in September near the conference room.

On September 30, OpenAI staff discovered a "hidden audio recording device" behind the TV - wrapped in toilet paper.

A camera was placed in the conference room, and on October 5, Alfozan was filmed entering the room, appearing to look behind the television where the device was placed.

The complaint also states that she left an unattended bag in another room that same day.

When security personnel opened it, it was found to contain "another recording device" similar to the one recovered, as well as Alfozan's wallet and ID.

In a post on X, OpenAI wrote that it used its AI models to "understand the device and where it came from."

"At this time, we have no indication that this individual had inappropriate access to Model Weight, source code, or customer data," the statement added.

Alfozan had been employed by OpenAI as an engineer since July 2025. The complaint said he studied in the United States and has been a lawful permanent resident since 2020.

He was arrested by the FBI on October 9 and his contract with OpenAI has been terminated.

Alfozan's lawyer, William Pernick, told the BBC: "Like countless Americans, Mr Alfozan came to this country as a young man with a dream many years ago.

"These allegations seem completely out of character for him, and we will relentlessly review all the evidence presented by the government in this case to find out what really happened, who was responsible and the possible reasons why."

At the same time, we respectfully ask everyone to withhold judgment until the full facts are known, Pernik added. Like all of us, Mr. Alfozan is presumed innocent, and what has been made public is an accusation, not a crime.

On Tuesday, Alfuzan made his first appearance in federal court in California. A detention hearing has been set for Oct. 19 to determine whether he should remain in custody.

If convicted, Alfozan faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 (£190,000) fine.