A Saudi national charged with secretly planting a recording device inside an OpenAI meeting room had "considerable support" from the Saudi government, according to a court filing in California.

US prosecutors identified the suspect as Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old engineer who had worked at the artificial intelligence company for approximately one year before allegedly attempting to plant the device.

The filing states that Alfozan was in "frequent communication... with a member of the Saudi royal family." Prosecutors also allege that a member of the Saudi military paid for a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia for his wife and son following his arrest.

On the basis of these claims, prosecutors argued that Alfozan posed a flight risk and should be detained pending trial.

The Saudi government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

OpenAI discovered the device on 30 September. It had been plugged into the back of a television in a conference room and covered with toilet paper.

A camera was subsequently placed in the room. On 5 October, Alfozan was filmed entering the room and appearing to look behind the television where the audio recorder had been inserted.

He was arrested by the FBI on 9 October. His contract with OpenAI was terminated following the arrest.

The court filing alleged that the suspect's conduct could pose "a danger to the national security of the United States." Prosecutors noted that company executives had met with government officials in the same room during the days the device was believed to have been active.

The filing also stated that Alfozan's arrest came three days before he was scheduled to fly from San Francisco to Riyadh on a one-way itinerary with his wife and son.

Following the arrest, Alfozan's wife told FBI agents that "her US visa was expiring" and that she and her son were "permanently moving back to Saudi Arabia," adding that her husband had intended to do the same.

On 10 October, the day after Alfozan was arrested, his wife and son flew from San Francisco to Doha, Qatar. They travelled on a one-way business class ticket booked and paid for by a Saudi military official.

"Ultimately, the defendant has little incentive to remain in the United States to see this case through," prosecutors argued.

The FBI investigation is ongoing.

Alfozan is scheduled to appear in federal court in San Francisco. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.