Saudi Royal's Text to Alleged OpenAI Spy: We Need You

New court filings in the case of a former OpenAI engineer accused of hiding a listening device in an executive conference room suggest he was in cahoots with the Saudi royal family, reports CBS News. Prosecutors say Abdulrahman Alfozan had been in regular contact with an unnamed Saudi royal from last year up until his arrest earlier this month. WhatsApp messages allegedly show the royal urging him to join a new AI effort in the kingdom, texting, "Saudi needs you more than the US!"

The Saudi national allegedly agreed to return home, but said he wanted to wait until his OpenAI stock vested. Investigators say he inserted a modified audio recorder into a TV's USB port in late September and alleged he intended to plant more bugs in additional meeting rooms. Prosecutors say he had a one-way ticket to Saudi Arabia in his possession when arrested earlier this month, and call him too much of a flight risk to be allowed out before trial, per CNBC. Alfozan's wife and son flew home to Saudi Arabia the day after he was arrested. He is charged with using or attempting to use an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications.