Federal authorities have charged an engineer at OpenAI with secretly installing a hidden audio listening device inside an executive conference room, in what prosecutors described as an attempt to capture sensitive discussions regarding the company’s artificial intelligence technology.

The suspect, identified in a federal criminal complaint in San Francisco as 35-year-old Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan, was arrested on Friday after the ChatGPT creator uncovered the device.

Alfozan, who has resided legally in the United States as a permanent resident since September 2020 and joined OpenAI as an engineer in July 2025, made his initial court appearance on Tuesday. He faces charges of using or endeavoring to use an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications.

The covert device was discovered on September 30 concealed inside toilet paper and plugged into a USB port on the back of a television set in an executive conference room at one of OpenAI’s San Francisco offices.

According to an FBI complaint, the thumb-sized device contained a microphone and could connect to a camera. Investigators determined it was placed on or around September 28, though its stored data remained encrypted and inaccessible.

OpenAI confirmed the breach, stating it had uncovered a “sophisticated recording device that was hidden inside one of our offices,” reported the matter to law enforcement, and dismissed the employee. The company said it used its own internal artificial intelligence models to analyze the device and trace its origin to Alfozan.

“We used our models to understand the device and where it had come from, identifying that a specific employee had planted it a few days earlier. We referred the matter to the FBI, and we’re grateful to the agents and prosecutors who moved quickly to make an arrest. The FBI’s investigation is ongoing and we will continue to support their work,” an OpenAI spokesperson said.

The firm emphasized that core technical assets and customer records were not compromised. “At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data. The employee was terminated,” the statement said.

While the criminal complaint does not specify what Alfozan intended to do with the intercepted communications, investigators said evidence suggested he planned to plant additional listening devices in sensitive areas across the facility.

According to court filings, closed-circuit television footage revealed Alfozan near the conference room on roughly six occasions last month despite having no authorization to access the space.

After finding the planted device, OpenAI installed a camera in the room, which recorded Alfozan returning to inspect the area behind the television set.

Prosecutors also alleged that Alfozan spent about a month through September 16 using an internal AI productivity tool to make extensive queries about building addresses, meeting room calendars, room capacities, and schedules.

Prior to his arrest, Alfozan left an unattended bag in a separate room inside the facility containing his wallet, identification, and a second customized recording device.

FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement: “Abdulrahman 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.”

If convicted, Alfozan faces up to five years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. It was not immediately clear if he had retained legal counsel, and an email sent to an address associated with his name received no response. The Saudi embassy in the United States did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Online professional profiles indicate Alfozan studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley, and previously held positions at Microsoft and Meta.

The case highlights rising security anxieties across the artificial intelligence sector as firms and governments compete aggressively for talent and intellectual property that can deliver major economic and strategic advantages. The incident also coincides with heightened global focus on digital security and misinformation narratives monitored by international observers.

Separately, OpenAI has reportedly been in early discussions to acquire Trail of Bits, a cybersecurity startup specializing in identifying and patching vulnerabilities in open-source software, according to reports citing sources familiar with the matter.

The discussions remain ongoing and could end without an agreement. Neither OpenAI nor Trail of Bits immediately responded to inquiries regarding the potential transaction.

The news of the arrest follows another recent internal disruption at OpenAI. The company confirmed on Friday that it had terminated three researchers—Jasmine Wang, Tomek Korbak, and Mikita Balesni—following an internal inquiry into policy violations involving the handling of sensitive information.

The three researchers later published an open letter explaining the circumstances of their departure, warning that abrupt dismissals can create uncertainty among staff and may harm an organizational culture where researchers feel empowered to raise critical safety concerns.