The DOJ says Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, an OpenAI employee, hid a $14 Seeed Xiao ESP32-S3 Sense device behind a TV in an executive conference room around Sept. 28, concealing it with toilet paper. The device, which includes a microphone, camera sensor and microSD storage, was discovered days later, and Alfozan was reportedly seen checking on it on Oct. 5 before OpenAI security searched his belongings.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-10-14
The FBI arrested OpenAI employee Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, a Saudi national, on October 9 after a covert recording device was discovered in the company's executive conference room. OpenAI said the device had been planted days earlier and the employee was fired; the DOJ says surveillance footage placed him near and inside the room beforehand, and a bag found nearby contained his ID and a second similar device.
cnbc.com
· 2026-10-13
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrest of another suspected ShinyHunters co-conspirator linked to the breach of the FBIjobs.gov platform. The New York Times identified the suspect as a Canadian citizen arrested in Pennsylvania, described as a primary participant in the intrusion, though the FBI has not released his name or charges. This marks the second arrest in days connected to the group behind the hack.
bleepingcomputer.com
· 2026-10-09
FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News that AI usage at the bureau has risen 605% since he took office, crediting the technology with helping thwart a school shooting in North Carolina and several other states. He also said major tech companies are 'embedded' within the FBI, though no official figures confirm the specific percentage he cited.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-09-20
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, FBI Director Kash Patel defended a policy change made earlier this year that no longer automatically disqualifies applicants with a history of bestiality or animal cruelty if the conduct occurred before age 18. Patel argued the change protects people who were 'victims' of forced bestiality, while lawmakers including Senators Durbin and Kennedy pressed him on the confusing and controversial framing of the rule.
wired.com
· 2026-09-15
According to CBS News sources, the FBI has quietly relaxed vetting standards for new hires, now permitting candidates with a history of paying for sex up to three times and even those with juvenile incidents of bestiality or animal cruelty, provided they occurred before age 18. The bureau says such allowances are limited to narrow cases, including childhood sexual abuse involving animals, but sources say no distinction is made between willing and coerced acts.
futurism.com
· 2026-08-31