Alleged OpenAI spy frequently WhatsApped Saudi royal: Saudi needs you more!

A Saudi engineer charged with trying to bug confidential OpenAI meetings frequently sent WhatsApp messages to a Saudi royal who told him, “Saudi needs you more then [sic] the US!” according to a stunning court filing. Abdulrahman Alfozan, the 35-year-old Saudi national in federal custody, repeatedly messaged the unidentified Saudi royal in 2025 and 2026, including as recently as Oct.5 – just four days before his arrest, federal prosecutors said in the Sunday filing. The Saudi royal repeatedly tried to recruit the defendant to join an AI initiative being launched in Saudi Arabia, but Alfozan “said he wouldn’t leave [OpenAI] until his stock vested,” according to the filing. “In May 2026, the individual told the defendant, ‘Saudi needs you more then [sic] the US!’ to which the defendant responded ‘100,’ indicating he agreed,” prosecutors wrote.Prosecutors are requesting that Alfozan be detained without bail, arguing he is a “flight risk” because he has “ample resources … and what appears to be considerable support” from the Saudi government. Alfozan –  who was hired by OpenAI in July 2025 with a base engineering salary of $325,000, later upped to $385,000 –  lives near the San Francisco airport and is a partner at Raed Ventures, a Saudi venture capital firm, according to federal prosecutors. Prince Khalid bin Bader Al Saud, a Saudi royal, joined the firm as a partner in 2025. The filing did not mention the prince by name or whether he has any ties to Alfozan.

The filing also did not say whether the unnamed royal told Alfozan to install recording devices in OpenAI’s San Francisco conference rooms.The Saudi government booked a flight to Saudi Arabia for Alfozan, his wife and their 3-month-old son, according to the filing. After his arrest disrupted those plans, Alfozan’s wife, Lujain Alassaf, and their boy flew to Doha, Qatar, on Oct.10 on a business-class flight paid for by a member of the Saudi military, prosecutors ...