OpenAI eavesdropping: Indications of royal and military support for Saudi nationals

OpenAI eavesdropping Saudi employee, evidence of support from royal family and military Royal family "Saudi Arabia is needed more than the US" revealed in recruitment attempt US prosecution requests continued detention citing "ability to flee abroad" To understand the full content, you must read with the article. Submitted October 20, 2026, 03:14 OpenAI eavesdropping Saudi employee, evidence of support from royal family and military Royal family "Saudi Arabia is needed more than the US" revealed in recruitment attempt US prosecution requests continued detention citing "ability to flee abroad" Google search prioritizes Yonhap News article. (San Francisco=Yonhap News) Reporter Kwon Young-jeon = Evidence has emerged that a Saudi Arabian national, detained for installing eavesdropping devices in an OpenAI executive's meeting room, received support from the Saudi royal family and the military. According to a request for continued detention submitted by the US Department of Justice to the court on the 19th, the defendant, Abdullah Al-Fazan (35), a former OpenAI engineer, had been in frequent contact with members of the Saudi royal family and via WhatsApp messenger since last year. These Saudi royal family members attempted to recruit Al-Fazan into their artificial intelligence (AI) plan currently underway in the Kingdom, stating, "Saudi Arabia needs you more than the United States," to which Al-Fazan replied with 100% agreement. However, Al-Fazan stated that he would not leave until the shares received from OpenAI could vest. It was investigated that the Saudi government and military provided direct support during his wife's and son's escape from the United States after Al-Fazan was arrested on the 9th. These families had initially planned to go to Riyadh together on the 12th, but after Al-Fazan's arrest, his wife and son departed on a one-way business flight to Qatar on the following day, the 10th, and it was revealed that this flight ticket was booked and paid for by a Saudi military official. Before departing, his wife testified during the FBI investigation that "she would permanently return to Saudi Arabia as her US visa expired" and "her husband also planned to return to Saudi Arabia and live there together." The prosecution argued that Saudi Arabia possesses unlimited resources and the ability for rapid escape assistance, as it has not signed an extradition treaty with the United States, and therefore detention of the defendant must be maintained until the trial. The prosecution also presented as evidence that a Saudi spy who infiltrated Twitter in 2015 was able to leave on the day after the incident with the intervention of the embassy, etc. In response, Al-Fazan's side explained that he had resided in the United States for 15 years and had applied for US citizenship, and his departure schedule was booked for immigration purposes. He is demanding bail on the condition that he submit his passport and wear a location tracking device. The Saudi government did not respond to Reuters' request for a comment on this case. Al-Fazan is accused of installing eavesdropping devices directly behind the TV in the core meeting room where top OpenAI executives, government officials, and external partners were present. The investigation revealed that he had searched and scouted in detail the methods for making recording devices, how to encrypt recording files, and the location of the meeting room using AI. OpenAI discovered the eavesdropping device in the meeting room last month and reported it to the FBI, immediately terminating Al-Fazan's employment. The prosecution explained that Al-Fazan had received a salary of $385,000 (approximately 510 million won) and shares worth $2.2 million (approximately 2.93 billion won) from OpenAI and held a US permanent residency.