A U.S. court on Monday ordered former OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan to remain in custody while prosecutors pursue allegations that he placed a recording device in an OpenAI conference room. The court granted the government’s request to deny his release, according to Ars Technica.
Prosecutors say Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national, had planned to fly to Saudi Arabia and was in frequent communication with an unnamed member of the Saudi royal family, PBS NewsHour and Al Jazeera reported. Prosecutors have not said what they believe he intended to do with any recordings, PBS said. Wired reported that the judge described a Saudi government offer to secure Alfozan’s release as a “blank check.” The case will continue as prosecutors present their allegations.