A Saudi national who worked as an engineer at OpenAI has been arrested and charged with allegedly installing a concealed recording device in an executive conference room at the company’s San Francisco office, the Department of Justice announced.

Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, was arrested by the FBI on Oct. 9 and appeared in federal court Tuesday. He faces a charge of using or attempting to use a listening device to intercept oral communications and remains in federal custody. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, OpenAI employees discovered an audio recording device plugged into a USB port behind a television in the executive conference room on Sept. 30. Investigators determined that the device, concealed inside toilet paper, had been installed around Sept. 28 and contained encrypted data.

The conference room was used for meetings involving highly confidential technical, commercial and strategic information, including proprietary research, product plans, government engagements and business partnerships. Prosecutors allege Alfozan was not authorized to access the room or attend the meetings.

Surveillance footage allegedly showed Alfozan near the room before the device was discovered. Investigators also found that he had searched company systems for information about office buildings, meeting rooms and executive calendars.

The complaint further alleges that a chatbot account associated with Alfozan’s wife asked questions about concealing recording devices, encrypting data and enabling remote access. Some inquiries reportedly referenced technical features specific to the device discovered at OpenAI.

On Oct. 5, security personnel allegedly found a similar recording device inside an unattended bag containing Alfozan’s wallet and identification. Prosecutors also allege he entered the executive conference room that day and appeared to look behind the television where the original device had been installed.

OpenAI said it used its models to help analyze the device and identify the employee it believed had planted it. The company referred the matter to the FBI and terminated the employee. It added that investigators had found no indication that Alfozan improperly accessed or removed model weights, source code or customer data.

FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized the importance of protecting American technological innovation, describing the defense of U.S. Super Intelligence capabilities as a counterintelligence priority tied to national security and economic strength.

The arrest comes amid broader federal concerns about the theft of sensitive American technology. Former Google engineer Linwei Ding was convicted of trade-secret theft involving the company’s technology, although a federal judge overturned his economic espionage convictions in August after finding prosecutors had not proved the required connection to the Chinese government. His trade-secret theft convictions remain intact.

Alfozan is scheduled to return to court Monday for a detention hearing. The FBI investigation remains ongoing, and prosecutors have not publicly identified a motive for the alleged surveillance.