US judge orders former OpenAI engineer held without bail over Saudi flight risk

SAN FRANCISCO — A US federal judge has ordered former OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan held without bail after ruling him a flight risk.

US District Judge Alex Tse ruled on Monday (Oct 19) there was “significant” risk the 35-year-old would fail to appear, rejecting his release bid. Alfozan, dressed in orange prison clothing, did not speak.

Prosecutors cited his contact with an unnamed Saudi royal, revealed in an Oct 18 US Attorney’s Office filing. One WhatsApp exchange showed the royal recruiting him for a Saudi AI initiative: “Saudi (Arabia) needs you more then [sic] the US”. Alfozan replied “100”.

A one-way ticket to Riyadh for Oct 12 before his Oct 9 arrest was also cited, and prosecutors said his wife and baby left the US on Oct 10 on tickets paid for by a Saudi military official. The two countries have no extradition treaty.

Judge Tse also rejected an offer by the Saudi Consulate in Los Angeles to post bail, calling it “problematic”. “Once he leaves, there’s no getting him back, the case goes away, and that is why this is a bigger case,” he said.

His lawyer William Pernik said Alfozan had a US naturalisation interview set for Nov 6 and offered US$1 million in assets. He faces up to five years in prison on charges of intercepting oral communications. The complaint does not allege spying, although US Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton has implied the case has national security implications. His next court date is Nov 6.

Sources: The Straits Times (AFP) — https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/us-judge-orders-saudi-engineer-held-in-openai-case ; NDTV — https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-court-orders-fired-saudi-engineer-to-remain-in-custody-in-openai-case-12208529/amp/1 ; CNBC via Metapress — https://metapress.net/politics/2026/10/20/openai-bugging-suspect-alfozan-held-without-bail-after-saudi-government-offers-to-pay/