# OpenAI engineer arrested over hidden listening device

> An engineer at OpenAI has been charged with planting recording devices in the company's San Francisco office, including one in an executive conference room.
- Title: OpenAI engineer arrested over hidden listening device
- Summary: An engineer at OpenAI has been charged with planting recording devices in the company's San Francisco office, including one in an executive conference room…
- Keywords: openai, abdulrahman alfozan, san francisco, listening device, federal charges, cybersecurity, technology, startups, engineer, arrested, hidden, listening
- Source: The Next Web — https://thenextweb.com/news/openai-employee-arrested-device
- Author: Ana Maria Constantin
- Published: 2026-10-13T21:53:52+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: openai, abdulrahman alfozan, san francisco, listening device, federal charges, cybersecurity, technology, startups
## Engineer arrested at OpenAI
Abdulrahman Alfozan, thirty-five, a Saudi national employed since July twenty twenty-five, was arrested on October ninth and charged with endeavouring to intercept oral communications.
## Devices hidden in conference room
Prosecutors say a listening device was fitted into a USB port behind a television in an executive conference room around September twenty-eighth. Staff found it two days later, wrapped in toilet paper with encrypted contents.
## Second device and chatbot evidence
A second device was found on October fifth in a bag Alfozan left unattended. Prosecutors allege prompts from an account tied to his spouse sought help building and concealing a recording device beforehand.
## No data breach, but EU questions remain
OpenAI says no model weights, source code or customer data were taken. The company signed the EU code of practice, which requires reporting cybersecurity breaches within five days, though whether this counts remains unclear.

> no indication weights, source code or customer data were taken
## Key takeaway

Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national employed by OpenAI since July twenty twenty-five, was arrested on October ninth and charged with attempting to intercept oral communications after devices were found in the company's San Francisco office.