A court has declined to release a former OpenAI engineer accused of spying, citing evidence that he attempted to access documents related to the Saudi government and was planning to move back to the kingdom.

US attorney Craig Missakian argued that Abdulrahman Alfozan must remain detained, pointing to conversations on WhatsApp with a Saudi royal family member and plans to move his family back to Saudi Arabia, where he had booked a one-way ticket paid for by the Saudi government.

Alfozan, a Saudi national and US permanent legal resident, is accused of planting bugs and accessing classified information. The US government believes he was either looking for personal gain or working for the Saudi government.

Missakian highlighted a similar case where a former Twitter employee was charged with spying for the Saudi government, noting the ease with which such charges can be coordinated with the help of foreign officials.

Alfozan’s case highlights the complex and sometimes murky nature of tech espionage, where the lines between personal and state interests can blur.