Abdulrahman Alfozan, an engineer formerly employed by OpenAI, has filed a request for bail following his arrest on October 9. The defendant denies allegations that his planned travel to Saudi Arabia was an attempt to flee the United States to avoid legal proceedings.
The legal counsel for Alfozan stated that the one-way tickets to Saudi Arabia were purchased on September 13, which is 17 days before the discovery of a recording device in an OpenAI executive conference room and 26 days before his arrest. The defense argues that the travel plans were made well before the government investigation began.
According to the defense, Alfozan frequently buys one-way tickets for work-related travel to avoid expensive last-minute flight changes. The specific departure date of October 12 was chosen to align with the expiration of his wife's work permit, which required her to leave the country by that time.
The U.S. Department of Justice previously argued that Alfozan, his wife, and another family member had booked one-way tickets from San Francisco to Saudi Arabia via Istanbul. Prosecutors suggested that the defendant had both the means and the motivation to leave the country if he became aware of the investigation.
OpenAI confirmed that the engineer was terminated on the same day as his arrest. The company discovered the recording equipment hidden behind a television in a conference room used by executives more than a week prior to the arrest.
