America: An engineer “with Saudi nationality” at OpenAI was arrested on charges of “hiding a recording device” inside the company

(CNN) - OpenAI announced on Tuesday that it had discovered an “advanced recording device” in one of its offices, placed by an employee who was later arrested.

The employee - who was dismissed by the company - holds Saudi citizenship, and the US Department of Justice identified him as Abdul Rahman Al-Fawzan, 35 years old.

According to the ministry, the device was discovered on September 30 during a routine inspection of a conference room; It was found plugged into a USB port behind a TV screen and covered with toilet paper.

OpenAI determined that the device had been in the meeting room for approximately two days before it was discovered.

The ministry reported that Al-Fawzan - who had been working as an engineer on the product team since July 2025 - was arrested on October 9 and remains in detention.

CNN has reached out to Al-Fawzan for comment.

OpenAI stated that the device was intended for audio recording, equipped with advanced encryption techniques and a data transfer mechanism specifically designed to avoid detection.

Surveillance cameras recorded Al-Fawzan entering the meeting room where “top-secret” discussions were taking place.

The Justice Department said other similar recording devices were found in Al-Fawzan's backpack, and OpenAI said it had evidence indicating he intended to deploy more recording devices throughout the company's offices.

"At this time, we have no indications that this individual has unauthorized access to or leaked forms, codes or customer data," he added.

She continued: “We take the issue of protecting our technology, data, and employees very seriously, and consider it a matter of national importance.”

The Justice Department alleged that Al-Fawzan used a “productivity-enhancing tool” to obtain information about OpenAI’s meeting rooms, appointment schedules, and the whereabouts of the company’s senior leadership. It was also found that a chatbot linked to Al-Fawzan’s wife sent inquiries and commands regarding how to build an encrypted audio recording device.

A page on LinkedIn bearing Al-Fawzan’s name showed that he previously held the position of senior systems engineer at Meta for about 5 years, and also worked for a company called Nash.

Profile data indicates that Al-Fawzan studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley. He is also a partner in Raed, a Saudi company specializing in venture capital.

CNN has reached out to the company for comment.

In a statement, US Attorney General Craig Misakian stated that protecting US technology companies is a “matter of national security.”