US prosecutors say a former OpenAI engineer accused of planting a recording device had considerable support from the Saudi government.

Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, a Saudi national, is accused of hiding an audio device in an OpenAI conference room in San Francisco.

The device was placed on October 5, and the FBI arrested Alfozan on October 9.

Prosecutors say he exchanged frequent WhatsApp messages with an unnamed Saudi royal who tried to recruit him to a Saudi AI initiative.

In one May exchange, the royal wrote that Saudi Arabia needed him more than the US. Alfozan allegedly replied “100.”

The filing says a Saudi military official paid for his wife and son to fly one-way to Qatar the day after his arrest.

Prosecutors want him kept in custody, calling him a flight risk. Saudi Arabia has no extradition treaty with the US.

The Financial Times first reported the filing from the US attorney’s office in San Francisco.

Read the full article for more details on the OpenAI bugging case.