New developments in the OpenAI "eavesdropping" case: The arrested engineer denies absconding and seeks bail. According to Bloomberg, the protagonist of the OpenAI eavesdropping case, the arrested engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan, requested to be released from custody and denied that he bought a one-way ticket back to his home country of Saudi Arabia to escape the United States.

New developments in the OpenAI "wiretapping" case: the arrested engineer denies absconding and seeks bail. According to Bloomberg, the protagonist of the OpenAI wiretapping case, the arrested engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan, requested to be released from custody and denied that he purchased a one-way ticket back to his home country of Saudi Arabia in order to evade U.S. judicial prosecution. Alfozan's lawyers said in a court filing late Friday that his travel plans were made long before he became involved in the U.S. government investigation and asked the court to grant him bail. "For years, Alfozan had been accustomed to purchasing one-way tickets and then booking return tickets. He had been working in the technology industry and was often required to attend meetings, projects and other matters at short notice. Therefore, he gradually developed the habit of buying one-way tickets because it was more cost-effective than changing flights at the last minute, and he often needed to return earlier than expected." Alfozan's lawyer said. The U.S. Department of Justice said on Tuesday that Alfozan was arrested on October 9. More than a week ago, OpenAI employees discovered a recording device hidden behind a television in an executive conference room. OpenAI said the company fired Alfozan on the day of his arrest. U.S. prosecutors said in a court document filed the day before Alfozan's arrest that Alfozan, his wife and another family member had booked one-way flights from San Francisco to Saudi Arabia via Istanbul on October 12. At the time, prosecutors were urging the court to keep the arrest warrant and other documents confidential from the public. "Had the defendant learned of the case before his arrest, he would have had both the ability and the motive to flee the United States in advance," prosecutors said. But Alfozan's lawyers said in a filing Friday that the timing and circumstances surrounding his travel plans "undercut the government's inference." Alfzan purchased the ticket on Sept. 13, "17 days before OpenAI discovered the equipment involved and 26 days before his arrest, and there was no investigation to evade," his attorney wrote. Alfzan’s defense lawyer stated that the flight was booked for October 12 to accommodate Alfzan’s wife’s schedule. Because her work permit has expired, she cannot remain in the United States after October 12 under U.S. immigration regulations. via cnBeta.COM - Chinese industry information website (author: Source: Phoenix Technology)