IT Home On October 17, according to a report by Bloomberg on today’s (17th) midday Beijing time, Saudi-born engineer Abdulrahman Al-Fazan, who is being sued for using a secret recording device in the OpenAI office, has applied for bail. He also denied that buying a one-way ticket back to Saudi Arabia was to avoid U.S. legal proceedings.
On the 16th local time, Al-Fazan's lawyer submitted documents to the court in the evening, claiming that he had arranged a return trip to his country before being investigated, and requested the court to approve bail.
The lawyer explained, “Alfozan has always booked a one-way ticket first, and then booked a return ticket later. He has been working in the technology industry, and often receives temporary meetings, projects, and other work arrangements. Therefore, he is used to booking one-way tickets. This is more cost-effective than making last-minute changes, and he often needs to return early.”
The U.S. Justice Department said Al-Fazan was arrested on October 9. More than a week earlier, employees of OpenAI discovered a secretly installed recording device behind the TV in a executive meeting room. OpenAI stated that it fired Al-Fazan on the day he was arrested.
The incident has attracted widespread attention from international media. As various countries compete to develop more powerful AI systems, this case is expected to further raise concerns about the security issues of large technology companies.
In the documents submitted by the prosecution the day before Al-Fazan’s arrest, it was stated that he purchased a one-way ticket from San Francisco to Saudi Arabia via Istanbul with his wife and another family member. The prosecution requested the court to keep the arrest warrant and other documents confidential for now, and explained that “if the defendant were aware of the case before his arrest, he would have both the opportunity and motive to escape from the United States in advance.”
Al-Fazan’s lawyer argued in the submitted documents that the time of ticket purchase and travel arrangementsexactly do not support the prosecution’s inference: “He purchased the ticket on September 13, 17 days earlier than OpenAI discovered the involved device, and 26 days earlier than his arrest. There was no investigation at that time to avoid.”
The defense lawyer explained that choosing to depart on October 12 was to take care of Alfazan’s wife. After her work permit ended, according to U.S. immigration regulations, she had to leave the country by that same day at the latest.
Alfzan came to the US as a college freshman 15 years ago and studied at MIT. He has lived in the US ever since, with “his entire life here.” He later worked at Facebook (IT Home note: now Meta) for about 6 years, then joined a startup in the San Francisco Bay Area, and in 2025 he joined OpenAI.
According to court documents, Al-Fazan has held a permanent resident status in the United States since 2020. He has traveled to Saudi Arabia 20 times over the past 5 years, andis expected to become a citizen of the United States soon. The lawyer said that he has a son who holds American citizenship and is still in infancy, and plans to start taking parental leave on October 19.
The lawyer also said that the Saudi Arabia Consulate General agreed to support Al-Fazan’s release under strict restrictions, and he would be under US supervision, including being prohibited from leaving the country without a court approval. In addition, a total of 54 people sent a letter to the court regarding Al-Fazan, including one doctor, several engineers, a startup founder, a former roommate, and a friend who had known him for over 10 years.
Alfazan is scheduled to attend a detention hearing at the San Francisco Federal Court on October 19 local time, presided over by Federal Magistrate Alex G. Shee.
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