From 973895149e1595c6340c3eb73117ac73d64d99d7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "disinfo.zone" Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2026 18:58:30 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] vault backup: 2026-10-13 18:58:30 --- 00 - META/CHANGELOG.md | 72 ++--- 10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Abdulrahman Alfozan.md | 191 ++++++++++++ 10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Ahmad Abouammo.md | 75 +++++ 10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Bader al-Asaker.md | 79 +++++ .../Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud.md | 106 +++++++ 10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Jay Clayton.md | 22 +- 10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Kamal Adham.md | 86 +++--- 10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Leopold Aschenbrenner.md | 56 ++-- 10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Sam Altman.md | 33 ++- .../(H-M)/A. R. (Abdul Raouf) Khalil.md | 37 ++- 10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Alexandre de Marenches.md | 4 +- 10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Ben Horowitz.md | 18 +- 10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Khalid bin Bader Al Saud.md | 173 +++++++++++ 10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Kash Patel.md | 8 +- 10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Saud al-Qahtani.md | 143 +++++++++ .../Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud.md | 141 +++++++++ .../General Intelligence Presidency.md | 159 ++++++++++ .../GOVERNMENT/INTERNATIONAL/Mukhabarat.md | 10 +- .../GOVERNMENT/INTERNATIONAL/Safari Club.md | 14 +- ...r Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones.md | 145 +++++++++ .../PRIVATE/Andreessen Horowitz.md | 48 ++- .../PRIVATE/Anduril Industries.md | 22 +- 20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/East40 Holding.md | 89 ++++++ .../PRIVATE/Echelon (company).md | 144 +++++++++ 20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/NSO Group.md | 38 ++- 20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/OpenAI.md | 146 +++++++++- 20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/RAED Ventures.md | 274 ++++++++++++++++++ .../Twitter Saudi espionage case.md | 129 +++++++++ .../INTELLIGENCE/NSPM-11.md | 84 ++++++ 60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Saudi Arabia.md | 31 +- .../MILITARY_INSTALLATIONS/Los Alamos.md | 26 +- ...26-10-13 Its Special Operations Section.md | 49 ++++ 32 files changed, 2476 insertions(+), 176 deletions(-) create mode 100644 10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Abdulrahman Alfozan.md create mode 100644 10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Ahmad Abouammo.md create mode 100644 10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Bader al-Asaker.md create mode 100644 10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud.md create mode 100644 10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Khalid bin Bader Al Saud.md create mode 100644 10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Saud al-Qahtani.md create mode 100644 10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud.md create mode 100644 20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/INTERNATIONAL/General Intelligence Presidency.md create mode 100644 20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/INTERNATIONAL/Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones.md create mode 100644 20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/East40 Holding.md create mode 100644 20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Echelon (company).md create mode 100644 20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/RAED Ventures.md create mode 100644 40 - EVENTS/INTELLIGENCE_SCANDALS/Twitter Saudi espionage case.md create mode 100644 50 - CONCEPTS & TECHNOLOGY/INTELLIGENCE/NSPM-11.md create mode 100644 70 - DISPATCHES/2026-10-13 Its Special Operations Section.md diff --git a/00 - META/CHANGELOG.md b/00 - META/CHANGELOG.md index fc0a1a66..0862d074 100644 --- a/00 - META/CHANGELOG.md +++ b/00 - META/CHANGELOG.md @@ -1,17 +1,47 @@ +- 2026-10-13T1851 · [[Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]] +- 2026-10-13T1844 · [[OpenAI]] +- 2026-10-13T1844 · [[Anduril Industries]] +- 2026-10-13T1844 · [[Safari Club]] +- 2026-10-13T1844 · [[Alexandre de Marenches]] +- 2026-10-13T1844 · [[Sam Altman]] +- 2026-10-13T1843 · [[Mukhabarat]] +- 2026-10-13T1842 · [[Ben Horowitz]] +- 2026-10-13T1842 · [[Los Alamos]] +- 2026-10-13T1842 · [[NSO Group]] +- 2026-10-13T1842 · [[Kash Patel]] +- 2026-10-13T1842 · [[Andreessen Horowitz]] +- 2026-10-13T1842 · [[Leopold Aschenbrenner]] +- 2026-10-13T1842 · [[Jay Clayton]] +- 2026-10-13T1841 · [[A. R. (Abdul Raouf) Khalil]] +- 2026-10-13T1841 · [[Kamal Adham]] +- 2026-10-13T1839 · [[Saudi Arabia]] +- 2026-10-13T1838 · [[Abdulrahman Alfozan]] +- 2026-10-13T1838 · [[RAED Ventures]] +- 2026-10-13T1838 · [[NSPM-11]] +- 2026-10-13T1838 · [[Bader al-Asaker]] +- 2026-10-13T1838 · [[Ahmad Abouammo]] +- 2026-10-13T1838 · [[Twitter Saudi espionage case]] +- 2026-10-13T1838 · [[Saud al-Qahtani]] +- 2026-10-13T1838 · [[Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones]] +- 2026-10-13T1838 · [[Echelon (company)]] +- 2026-10-13T1837 · [[General Intelligence Presidency]] +- 2026-10-13T1837 · [[Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]] +- 2026-10-13T1836 · [[East40 Holding]] +- 2026-10-13T1836 · [[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]] - 2026-10-12T2005 · [[Iran-Iraq War]] - 2026-10-12T2003 · [[Edwin May]] - 2026-10-12T2003 · [[Arthur Hastings]] - 2026-10-12T2002 · [[Bill Hamilton]] - 2026-10-12T2002 · [[International Signal and Control]] - 2026-10-12T2002 · [[Capcom]] -- 2026-10-12T2002 · [[Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co]] - 2026-10-12T2002 · [[Jose Macario]] -- 2026-10-12T2001 · [[Department of Justice]] +- 2026-10-12T2002 · [[Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co]] - 2026-10-12T2001 · [[Louis Jolyon West]] +- 2026-10-12T2001 · [[Department of Justice]] - 2026-10-12T2001 · [[Charles R. Work]] - 2026-10-12T2000 · [[Vacaville]] -- 2026-10-12T2000 · [[Senate Judiciary Committee]] - 2026-10-12T2000 · [[Thomas Karamessines]] +- 2026-10-12T2000 · [[Senate Judiciary Committee]] - 2026-10-12T2000 · [[PROMIS]] - 2026-10-12T2000 · [[Lowell Jensen]] - 2026-10-12T2000 · [[J. Edgar Hoover]] @@ -23,7 +53,6 @@ - 2026-10-12T1957 · [[Saddam Hussein]] - 2026-10-12T1954 · [[Yom Kippur War]] - 2026-10-12T1954 · [[G. Gordon Liddy]] -- 2026-10-12T1954 · [[Kamal Adham]] - 2026-10-12T1954 · [[Anwar Sadat]] - 2026-10-12T1953 · [[National Institute for Discovery Science]] - 2026-10-12T1953 · [[Condon Committee]] @@ -40,8 +69,8 @@ - 2026-10-12T1858 · [[Gehlen Organization]] - 2026-10-12T1858 · [[Heinz Felfe]] - 2026-10-12T1857 · [[Larry Devlin]] -- 2026-10-12T1857 · [[NSA]] - 2026-10-12T1857 · [[Allen Dulles]] +- 2026-10-12T1857 · [[NSA]] - 2026-10-12T1857 · [[Cambridge Analytica]] - 2026-10-12T1857 · [[Charles Tart]] - 2026-10-12T1857 · [[Kenneth A. Kress]] @@ -52,13 +81,13 @@ - 2026-10-12T1857 · [[Edwin Corr]] - 2026-10-12T1857 · [[Walter Grasheim]] - 2026-10-12T1857 · [[Carlos Amador]] -- 2026-10-12T1857 · [[Dag Hammarskjöld]] - 2026-10-12T1857 · [[Ray Hunt]] +- 2026-10-12T1857 · [[Dag Hammarskjöld]] - 2026-10-12T1857 · [[Monroe Institute]] - 2026-10-12T1857 · [[Celerino Castillo]] - 2026-10-12T1857 · [[James R. Schlesinger]] -- 2026-10-12T1857 · [[Bundesnachrichtendienst]] - 2026-10-12T1857 · [[Brent Scowcroft]] +- 2026-10-12T1857 · [[Bundesnachrichtendienst]] - 2026-10-12T1801 · [[NATO]] - 2026-10-12T1801 · [[U.S. Attorney General]] - 2026-10-12T1801 · [[William French Smith]] @@ -69,32 +98,3 @@ - 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Libya]] - 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Belgium]] - 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Brussels]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[September 11 attacks]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Scott Inquiry]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Operation NORTHWOODS]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[CIA Family Jewels]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Babalon Working]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Bay of Pigs]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Operation Gladio]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[National Security Archive]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Matrix Churchill]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[ITICO]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[GCHQ]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[DINA]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Mark Thatcher]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Margaret Thatcher]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Jose Bueso Rosa]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Alan Sanders]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Ronald LeGrand]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Robert McFarlane]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Patrice Lumumba]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Norwin Meneses]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Lyman Lemnitzer]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Leonard Leo]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Henry A. Kissinger]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[William Barr]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[James L. Dozier]] -- 2026-10-12T1800 · [[Alexander Acosta]] -- 2026-10-12T1759 · [[Fred Hitz]] -- 2026-10-12T1759 · [[Steve Bannon]] -- 2026-10-12T1759 · [[James Eastland]] diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Abdulrahman Alfozan.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Abdulrahman Alfozan.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..2b9c2d57 --- /dev/null +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Abdulrahman Alfozan.md @@ -0,0 +1,191 @@ +--- +aliases: + - عبدالرحمن الفوزان + - Abdulrahman Al Fozan +category: "Technologists" +tags: + - Person + - OpenAI + - ArtificialIntelligence + - Counterintelligence + - SaudiArabia + - RAEDVentures + - Nash + - SurveillanceDevice +summary: "OpenAI engineer and RAED Ventures venture partner charged in October 2026 with using a device to intercept oral communications, after prosecutors said he hid a recorder in an OpenAI executive conference room." +location: "San Francisco, California" +created: 2026-10-13 +updated: 2026-10-13 +relations: + - type: employed_by + with: "[[OpenAI]]" + role: "engineering lead on the product team" + start: 2025-07 + fn: 24 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Nash (company)]]" + role: "founding engineer" + start: 2022 + end: 2025-08 + fn: 7 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Meta Platforms]]" + role: "senior systems engineer" + start: 2017 + end: 2022 + fn: 7 + - type: partner_of + with: "[[RAED Ventures]]" + role: "venture partner" + start: 2025-02-08 + fn: 4 + - type: prosecuted + with: "[[Department of Justice]]" + reverse: true + start: 2026-10-13 + fn: 1 + - type: investigated + with: "[[Federal Bureau of Investigation]]" + reverse: true + fn: 1 + - type: participant_in + with: "[[Saudi Data Community]]" + role: "second place, Saudi COVID-19 Challenge (#تحدي_كوفيد١٩)" + start: 2020-04-12 + end: 2020-04-12 + fn: 10 + - type: participant_in + with: "[[Homathon]]" + role: "first place, as listed on his LinkedIn profile" + start: 2020-04 + end: 2020-05 + fn: 2 + - type: participant_in + with: "[[PyData Riyadh]]" + role: "speaker on MLflow" + start: 2020-08 + end: 2020-10 + fn: 15 +--- + +Abdulrahman Alfozan is a Saudi national and software engineer who, according to [[OpenAI]], worked on the product team at the company's [[San Francisco]] offices from July 2025 until his arrest. The [[United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California]] announced on October 13, 2026 that he was arrested on October 9 and charged with using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications. He is also a venture partner at [[RAED Ventures]], an early-stage investor focused on the region.[^1] + +### Education + +A [[LinkedIn]] profile under his name lists the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] and [[University of California, Berkeley]] among his schools.[^2] The [[CNN]] report on the arrest cites the same profile for both institutions.[^3] RAED Ventures' announcement of his venture role says he "studied computer science and engineering at MIT."[^4] The profile lists MIT projects from 2012 and 2013: MAS.863, a digital fabrication course that he attended in the fall of 2012; Lounge, a web-based housing platform for undergraduate dormitories that placed second in the MIT 2013 iCampus competition; and work at the [[MIT Center for Wireless Networks and Mobile Computing]] on protecting RFID tags through channel randomization.[^2] The profile also lists a poster at EECScon, the first annual MIT Course 6 undergraduate research conference, held April 16, 2013. The conference guide lists the poster as "The automated room project: a multidisciplinary modular design experiment," with the supervisor given as "Self." The abstract describes room automation gadgets built with 3D printing, laser cutting, PCB design, microcontroller programming and networking, among them an automated curtain, a keyless door entry system and music-driven lights.[^5] His LinkedIn profile gives the conference date as January 2013 and titles the poster "Low-Cost Software-Defined Radio for 8-bit Microcontrollers."[^2] The profile also lists a [[King Abdullah University of Science and Technology]] (KAUST) Gifted Students Scholarship, described as a university full scholarship under the KAUST Gifted Students Program,[^6] and a finalist entry at the 2009 [[Intel International Science and Engineering Fair]].[^2] Research internships are listed at KAUST and at [[Nanyang Technological University]] in [[Singapore]].[^2] + +The [[San Francisco Standard]] reported that the LinkedIn profile gives a master's degree in data science from UC Berkeley.[^7] + +### Saudi Competitions, Scholarships and Talks + +Two separate Saudi competitions of spring 2020 appear in his record. + +The first is the Saudi COVID-19 Challenge, run by the [[Saudi Data Community]] (المجموعة السعودية للبيانات), which describes itself as a community initiative of data specialists and enthusiasts.[^8] A public GitHub README for another participant's entry states that the challenge was held by the community on March 15, 2020, asked entrants for a report using open COVID-19 data, and had more than 150 participants.[^9] Alfozan placed second; the community's account on X congratulated him on April 12, 2020 for second place in the "#تحدي_كوفيد١٩" (COVID-19 challenge) and, the same day, congratulated a different participant for third place.[^10] His public GitHub repository "COVID-19-notebook," described as the "Saudi COVID-19 Notebook," links the challenge announcement and the April 12 post.[^11] His LinkedIn profile lists the entry as "Saudi COVID-19 Challenge, Mar 2020, 2nd place, $50k prize."[^2] + +The second is the Homathon, an online hackathon run by the [[Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones]] (SAFCSP) with a registration period of April 14 to 18, 2020 and an event period of April 19 to 25, 2020.[^12][^13] The launch coverage gave a total prize pool of $85,000, with $50,000 for first place, $25,000 for second and $15,000 for third.[^13] His LinkedIn profile lists "Homathon COVID-19 Challenge, issued by safcsp.org.sa, May 2020, 1st place," with a link to homathon.com.[^2] A team of two engineering alumnae of [[Alfaisal University]] placed third with a project called "Raqeeb."[^14] The Homathon's English homepage lists [[Abdullah bin Sharaf Alghamdi]], president of the [[Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority]] (SDAIA), among its speakers, and Alfaisal University states that the Homathon was set up by the federation "in collaboration with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority."[^12][^14] + +The profile dates an Intel International Science and Engineering Fair finalist entry to May 2009 and a WorldSkills International Medallion for Excellence in IT/Software Applications to September 2009.[^2] + +The profile lists talks at [[PyData Riyadh]] in 2020. PyData Riyadh announced on August 12, 2020 a talk on [[MLflow]] by "@alfozan, Systems Engineer at Facebook," and a second MLflow session on October 14, 2020 ("As per your demands we have @alfozan back with us for MLflow part 2").[^15] The profile also lists talks at the [[Spark + AI Summit]] in 2019 and 2020.[^2] + +The profile lists a KAUST research internship in the Networking Research Lab from June to August 2016.[^2] + +### Reach Labs and Internships + +According to the San Francisco Standard, the LinkedIn profile lists him as a systems engineer at [[Reach Labs]], a wireless power startup in the [[Y Combinator]] summer 2015 batch, and as an intern at [[Microsoft]], [[SAP]] in [[Berlin]] and [[Akamai Technologies]].[^7] + +### Technical Background + +The LinkedIn profile lists a software engineering internship at Akamai Technologies from June to August 2012 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It says he "Developed sherlock, a policy-aware tool for network packets capturing on Windows servers" and "Deployed sherlock on the internal Akamai network targeting over 15,000 servers."[^2] + +The profile lists a 2015 role as systems engineer at Reach Labs, where he "Led the design and development of novel long-range phased-arrays wireless charging solutions" and worked on "energy receivers with real-time power tracking."[^2] The Y Combinator company page describes Reach Labs as "building long-range wireless power networks that deliver scalable, resilient energy infrastructure" and lists the company in the Summer 2015 batch.[^16] + +### GitHub + +The public [[GitHub]] account "alfozan," created August 15, 2011, carries the name Abdulrahman Alfozan, the company "OpenAI," the location San Francisco, CA, and the X username alfozan. It lists 16 public repositories, 0 public gists and 117 followers, and membership in three organizations: prestodb, bitsence (created August 28, 2016) and Andal-us (display name "Andalus," location "Riyadh / Dubai," created March 2, 2017).[^17] + +His own repositories include COVID-19-notebook (created May 2, 2020), Air-Quality-Dashboard (March 2020, for an Awair sensor), mlflow-example (August 2020), trending-dashboard (June 2021), AI-file-renamer (December 2025), WhatsApp-Local-Viewer (February 2026, "Local read-only Flask app to browse WhatsApp backup chats and media") and python-project-template (May 2025). Forks include openai-agents-python (April 2026), openai/plugins (May 2026), opentelemetry-python-contrib (May 2026), pyngrok (forked August 14, 2020), spark and mlflow.[^17] + +The public event stream shows pull requests by the account to openai/openai-cookbook (all times UTC): number 3106 opened and merged on September 16, 2026; 3109 opened September 17 and merged September 17; 3127 opened September 22 and merged September 23; 3134 opened September 25 and merged September 26; and 3140 opened at 17:33 and merged at 17:45 on September 29, 2026. An issue comment on openai/plugins was posted on September 29, 2026 at 00:53.[^17] + +### Meta + +The LinkedIn profile lists him as a senior systems engineer at [[Meta Platforms]] from 2017 to 2022.[^2][^7] RAED Ventures' announcement describes five years at Meta as a senior engineer specializing in machine learning and data platforms.[^4] The profile lists him as a speaker at the Spark + AI Summit in 2019 and in 2020, and lists an entry titled Spark Fast Transforms among his Meta work on [[Apache Spark]].[^2] The 2019 talk, "Powering Custom Apps at Facebook using Spark Script Transformation," has a slide deck on the [[Databricks]] account on [[SlideShare]], whose title slide reads "Abdulrahman Alfozan, Spark Summit Europe." The deck describes Spark script transformations as a more flexible alternative to user-defined functions and traces Spark's use at Facebook from experiments in 2015 to full production in 2018.[^18] The 2020 talk is listed under the title "Securing Apache Spark Applications at Facebook."[^2] + +### Nash + +The LinkedIn profile lists him as a founding engineer at [[Nash (company)]] from 2022 to August 2025.[^2][^7] Nash is a delivery-logistics API company founded by [[Mahmoud Ghulman]] and [[Aziz Alghunaim]]. [[Andreessen Horowitz]] partnered with the company on a seed round in the fall of 2021, and on July 26, 2022 announced a $20 million Series A round that the firm also led, bringing total funding to $27.8 million.[^19][^20] Both co-founders are described as having attended MIT.[^19][^20] + +### RAED Ventures + +RAED Ventures describes itself as an early-stage investor in the MENA region.[^21] Its announcement of Alfozan as a venture partner describes him as then a founding engineer at Nash, quotes [[Omar Almajdouie]] as the firm's founding partner, and says that "he will focus on identifying promising investment opportunities." The page's structured metadata gives February 8, 2025 as the publication date, and the Internet Archive holds a capture dated March 23, 2025.[^4] The [[Altss]] investment platform describes RAED as offering "access to Saudi and GCC markets."[^21] + +On October 13, 2026 [[Scott Stedman]] wrote on X that Alfozan is a venture partner at RAED Ventures, "which has received funding from Saudi government-backed entities." Stedman wrote that the firm "has a Saudi royal family member, Prince Khalid bin Bader Al Saud, as a venture partner."[^22] In a second post the same day, Stedman wrote that [[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]] "appears to be the son of Brigadier General Prince Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud," who in Stedman's account served in the special operations section of [[Saudi Arabia]]'s General Intelligence Agency. Stedman also wrote that Khalid "also founded [[Echelon (company)]], an AI company that says it serves Saudi government and defense customers."[^23] + +### OpenAI + +OpenAI's spokesperson, [[Nate Evans]], told [[TechCrunch]] that Alfozan started with the company in July 2025 and worked on the product team.[^24] A LinkedIn entry for the OpenAI role gives September 2025 as the start month, which differs from the company's date.[^2] The [[Smashi Business]] post described below calls him an Engineering Lead in San Francisco.[^25] + +Between April 15 and May 7, 2026 the GitHub account "alfozan" opened six pull requests to the openai-agents-python repository, including "feat: add BoxMount support" (pull request 2988, April 21, 2026), "Update examples and defaults to GPT-5.5" (3016, April 23, 2026) and "fix: Responses context-management extra_args collision" (3185, May 7, 2026).[^26] + +### The Smashi Business Post + +On September 12, 2026 the Smashi Business account on X published a post stating that Alfozan "is currently the only Saudi employee at OpenAI, where he works as an Engineering Lead in San Francisco." The post says that Alfozan spoke in a video about his team's first product launch, and it quotes his advice to Saudis entering AI: "Computer science remains the most suitable major."[^25] The San Francisco Standard reported that a YouTube video the previous month had touted him as the only Saudi employee at OpenAI.[^7] In his October 13 post Stedman wrote that he had been told by a source that Alfozan was OpenAI's only Saudi employee.[^22] + +### The Recording Device + +The [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s release summarizes the complaint as alleging that OpenAI personnel found a device, called Recording Device 1 in the complaint (OpenAI is "Company 1" in the complaint, according to the Northern District of California's version of the release), on September 30, 2026. It was inserted into a USB port on the back of a television in an executive conference room in one of the company's San Francisco buildings, and it was concealed in toilet paper. OpenAI determined that the device was installed on or about September 28, and that its contents were encrypted.[^1] The [[Associated Press]] and TechCrunch report the same details from the complaint.[^24][^27] + +According to the complaint, closed-circuit footage showed Alfozan near the conference room on multiple dates before the discovery, although he had no authority to enter the room or attend meetings held there. The complaint describes those meetings as frequently involving highly confidential technical, commercial and strategic information, including proprietary research, product plans, business-development opportunities, and nonpublic information about OpenAI's capabilities, priorities, "government engagements" and commercial relationships.[^1][^28] AP reported that a camera added to the room after the discovery captured him entering the room and checking behind the television, according to the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]].[^27] A photograph published with the TechCrunch report carries the overlay "2026-10-05 13:20:47" to "13:21:30."[^24] + +The complaint alleges that before September 28 Alfozan used a productivity tool to make multiple inquiries about OpenAI's building addresses, meeting rooms, meeting-room capacities and calendars, the locations of "leadership and exec" offices, and external partner meetings.[^1][^28] It further alleges that a chatbot account associated with Alfozan's spouse, which shared multiple identifiers and attributes with his own chatbot account, submitted prompts between September 24 and September 30 about building, customizing, installing, audio recording, testing, obfuscating and remotely accessing a device. The quoted prompts include "build[ing] a continuous audio recorder," "customiz[ing] Wi-Fi . . . connectivity," "improv[ing] audio and live listening," and "encrypt[ing] the SD card." On September 27 and 28 the same account submitted prompts about Recording Device 1, including its custom header and unique MAC address.[^1][^28][^29] + +On October 5, the complaint alleges, Alfozan entered the executive conference room and appeared to look behind the television where the device had been inserted. The same day he left a bag unattended in a different room in an OpenAI building. Security personnel who opened it found his wallet and identification, along with a second recording device similar to the first.[^1] + +### Arrest and Charge + +Alfozan, 35, was arrested on Friday, October 9, 2026.[^1] OpenAI said that it fired him that day and coordinated the timing with the FBI so as not to disrupt the investigation. According to OpenAI, it had gradually restricted his access to systems and spaces from September 30, then suspended his physical and network access, placed him on leave and secured his company-issued equipment.[^7] He made his initial appearance in federal court on October 13 and remains in custody.[^27] + +The charge is using or endeavoring to use an electronic, mechanical or other device to intercept oral communications, under 18 U.S.C. § 2511(1)(b).[^28] If convicted, he faces a maximum of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.[^1] Assistant U.S. Attorney [[Nicolas Parker]] of the Northern District of California is prosecuting the case with assistance from Trial Attorney [[Kate Tagert]] of the [[National Security Division]]'s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.[^1] The release states that the prosecution is in support of National Security Presidential Memorandum 11 ([[NSPM-11]]), "designed to support American superiority in super intelligence technology."[^1] The memorandum, signed June 5, 2026, is titled "Artificial Intelligence in the National Security Enterprise" and uses the terms "artificial intelligence" and "AI" throughout.[^30] Executive Order 14434 of September 29, 2026 directs executive agencies to use "Super Intelligence" and "SI" in place of "Artificial Intelligence" and "AI."[^31] A detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge [[Alex G. Tse]] is set for October 19, 2026.[^7] + +### Statements + +[[Kash Patel]], the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said: "According to the complaint unsealed today, Abdulrahman Alfozan allegedly concealed a covert recording device inside his employer's executive conference room to secretly capture sensitive communications about the company's super intelligence technology." He added that "the FBI views that mission as one of our highest counterintelligence priorities," and thanked "Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton and our law enforcement partners."[^1][^28] + +U.S. Attorney [[Craig Missakian]] said: "For us it is a matter of national security. This arrest highlights our relentless efforts in partnership with the FBI to identify and prosecute those who seek to steal our technology, as alleged in the complaint."[^1] [[Scott Schelble]], special agent in charge of the FBI's San Francisco field office, said the agency is committed to protecting sensitive research and proprietary technology.[^7] [[Jay Clayton]], the Director of National Intelligence, called winning the global super intelligence race a national security prerogative and credited the president's leadership in creating the Super Intelligence Force.[^1] + +OpenAI said on X: "At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data."[^24] The company described the device as "sophisticated" and said it contained "advanced encryption, audio monitoring capabilities, and a mechanism for transferring data designed to evade monitoring."[^24] Its spokesperson said that employees used the company's models to analyze the device and identified "that a specific employee had planted it a few days earlier."[^27] OpenAI also said it has evidence that Alfozan intended to place other recording devices in sensitive spaces to secretly record meetings.[^7] The company said it treats protecting its technology, data and people as "a matter of national importance."[^7] + +### Footnotes + +[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Saudi National Arrested for Installing Surreptitious Audio Recording Device at OpenAI," October 13, 2026, press release 26-1173. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/saudi-national-arrested-installing-surreptitious-audio-recording-device-openai +[^2]: Abdulrahman Alfozan, LinkedIn profile, viewed October 13, 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/in/alfozan +[^3]: CNN Business, "OpenAI employee arrested for allegedly hiding a 'sophisticated recording device' in its office," October 13, 2026. https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/13/business/openai-recording-device +[^4]: RAED Ventures, "Raed Ventures Welcomes New Venture Partner, Abdulrahman Alfozan," news page, with publication metadata dated February 8, 2025. https://raed.vc/news/raed-ventures-welcomes-new-venture-partner-abdulrahman-alfozan/ ; Internet Archive capture of March 23, 2025: https://web.archive.org/web/20250323022105/https://raed.vc/news/raed-ventures-welcomes-new-venture-partner-abdulrahman-alfozan/ +[^5]: MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, EECScon 2013 guide ("The First Annual Course 6 Undergraduate Research Conference"), April 16, 2013, poster presentations, p. 11. Copy: https://web.archive.org/web/2013id_/http://www.eecs.mit.edu/docs/eecscon/guide2013.pdf (live URL https://www.eecs.mit.edu/docs/eecscon/guide2013.pdf) +[^6]: KAUST Gifted Students Program, program site. https://kgsp.kaust.edu.sa/ +[^7]: "OpenAI engineer arrested in bugging of executive conference room," *San Francisco Standard,* October 13, 2026. https://sfstandard.com/2026/10/13/openai-engineer-arrested-alleged-bugging-executive-conference-room/ +[^8]: Saudi Data Community, "About Us," Arabic page, Wayback capture March 21, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190321144025/http://www.datacommunitysa.com/about ; the Arabic text: "المجموعة السعودية للبيانات هي مبادرة مجتمعية تضم مجموعة من المتخصصين والمهتمين في مجال البيانات" (the Saudi Data Community is a community initiative made up of specialists and enthusiasts in data). The X profile reads "Joined June 2017." +[^9]: Public GitHub repository "covid19_challenge" README (another participant's report), describing a challenge "held by the @DataCommunitySA on March 15th, 2020" with "150+ participants." https://github.com/IbtihalFerwana/covid19_challenge +[^10]: Saudi Data Community (@DataCommunitySA), post on X, April 12, 2020, congratulating "عبدالرحمن الفوزان @alfozan" on second place in "#تحدي_كوفيد١٩" (status 1249403005776117761). https://web.archive.org/web/2020id_/https://twitter.com/DataCommunitySA/status/1249403005776117761 ; same-day post for a third-place participant, status 1249400618676076552. +[^11]: Alfozan, public GitHub repository "COVID-19-notebook," README, linking the challenge announcement (status 1238903883000356870) and the report post (status 1249403005776117761). https://github.com/alfozan/COVID-19-notebook +[^12]: Homathon, English homepage, captured May 6, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200506171154/https://homathon.com/en/ +[^13]: Ajel (English), "SAFCSP launches Homathon Challenge Contest," undated, covering the launch in mid-April 2020. https://english.ajel.sa/news/safcsp-launches-homathon-challenge-contest +[^14]: Alfaisal University, "Two College of Engineering Alumnae Win the 3rd Place in SAFCSP Homathon," November 2, 2020. https://news.alfaisal.edu/?p=3573 +[^15]: PyData Riyadh, posts on X, August 12, 2020 talk announcement (status 1291043529146466304) and October 2020 MLflow part 2 announcement (status 1314841078999154689), captured 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/2021id_/https://twitter.com/PyDataRiyadh/status/1291043529146466304 ; https://web.archive.org/web/2021id_/https://twitter.com/PyDataRiyadh/status/1314841078999154689 +[^16]: Y Combinator, "Reach: Long range, wireless energy distribution that scales," company profile, Summer 2015 batch. https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/reach-labs +[^17]: GitHub REST API, user "alfozan," organizations, repositories and public events, retrieved October 13, 2026. https://api.github.com/users/alfozan ; https://api.github.com/users/alfozan/orgs ; https://api.github.com/users/alfozan/repos ; https://api.github.com/users/alfozan/events/public +[^18]: Databricks, "Powering Custom Apps at Facebook using Spark Script Transformation," slide deck. https://www.slideshare.net/databricks/powering-custom-apps-at-facebook-using-spark-script-transformation +[^19]: Andreessen Horowitz, "Investing in Nash," July 26, 2022. https://a16z.com/announcement/investing-in-nash/ +[^20]: TechCrunch, "Nash raises cash to help merchants manage local deliveries," July 26, 2022. https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/26/nash-raises-cash-to-help-merchants-manage-local-deliveries/ +[^21]: Altss, "RAED Ventures," investment platform profile. https://altss.com/profile/raed-ventures ; RAED Ventures, "About." https://raed.vc/about/ +[^22]: Scott Stedman, post on X, October 13, 2026. https://x.com/scottstedman/status/2110102749526573398 +[^23]: Scott Stedman, second post on X, October 13, 2026. https://x.com/scottstedman/status/2110106692914696402 +[^24]: TechCrunch, "FBI arrests OpenAI employee accused of planting hidden recording device in conference room," October 13, 2026. https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/13/fbi-arrests-openai-employee-accused-of-planting-hidden-recording-device-in-conference-room/ +[^25]: Smashi Business, post on X, September 12, 2026. https://x.com/smashibusiness/status/2098758379091153118 +[^26]: GitHub, pull requests by the author alfozan in openai/openai-agents-python, queried October 13, 2026. https://api.github.com/search/issues?q=repo:openai/openai-agents-python+author:alfozan +[^27]: Associated Press, "Employee arrested after listening device found in OpenAI conference room, FBI and the company say," October 13, 2026. https://www.clickorlando.com/tech/2026/10/13/employee-arrested-after-listening-device-found-in-openai-conference-room-fbi-and-the-company-say/ +[^28]: U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of California, "Saudi National Arrested for Installing Surreptitious Audio Recording Device at OpenAI," October 13, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/saudi-national-arrested-installing-surreptitious-audio-recording-device-openai-san +[^29]: BNO News, "Saudi national working at OpenAI arrested for bugging executive conference room," October 13, 2026. https://bnonews.com/index.php/2026/10/saudi-national-working-at-openai-arrested-for-bugging-executive-conference-room/ +[^30]: The White House, "National Security Presidential Memorandum/NSPM-11," signed June 5, 2026. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/06/national-security-presidential-memorandum-nspm-11/ +[^31]: Executive Order 14434, "Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence," The White House, September 29, 2026. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/09/inaugurating-the-era-of-super-intelligence/ diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Ahmad Abouammo.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Ahmad Abouammo.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..cc7a359c --- /dev/null +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Ahmad Abouammo.md @@ -0,0 +1,75 @@ +--- +aliases: + - Ahmad Abouammo +category: "Criminals & Offenders" +tags: + - Person + - Twitter + - SaudiArabia + - ForeignAgent + - Espionage + - FederalCase +summary: "Former Twitter media partnerships manager convicted in 2022 of acting as an agent of Saudi Arabia after accepting payments and a watch from a royal court official; resentenced to time served in 2025." +location: "Seattle, Washington" +created: 2026-10-13 +updated: 2026-10-13 +relations: + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Twitter]]" + role: "media partnerships manager" + start: 2013-11 + end: 2015-05 + fn: 4 + - type: prosecuted + with: "[[United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California]]" + reverse: true + start: 2019-11-19 + fn: 1 + - type: participant_in + with: "[[Twitter Saudi espionage case]]" + role: "defendant" + start: 2019-11-19 + fn: 1 +--- + +Ahmad Abouammo is a United States citizen who worked as a media partnerships manager at [[Twitter]] from November 2013 until May 2015. He was convicted in August 2022 of acting as an agent of the [[Saudi Arabia|Kingdom of Saudi Arabia]], among other counts, and sentenced to 42 months in prison in the [[Twitter Saudi espionage case]]. After the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit]] vacated the sentence he was resentenced on June 26, 2025 to time served.[^1][^2][^3] + +### Employment and access + +The complaint describes Abouammo as a United States citizen who lived in the Northern District of California from November 2013 until May 22, 2015, and then in Seattle.[^4] The Justice Department described his position as Media Partnerships Manager for the Middle East and North Africa region.[^5] His role gave him access to Twitter's internal systems, through which he could search for users by username and view their email addresses, telephone numbers and IP addresses.[^2] The complaint alleges that he used that access without any legitimate business purpose.[^4] + +Abouammo arranged a tour of the San Francisco office for a group of Saudi visitors in June 2014. The official who attended the tour later had contact with him directly.[^6] In December 2014 Abouammo met [[Bader al-Asaker]], named in the Ninth Circuit opinion as Bader Binasaker, at a Twitter meeting in London. After that meeting, according to the Ninth Circuit, he accessed the email and phone information for the @mujtahidd account on various occasions.[^2] He left Twitter in May 2015, moved to Seattle and started a freelance social media consultancy.[^2] + +### Payments and the watch + +The complaint states that the official gave Abouammo a Hublot Unico Big Bang King Gold Ceramic watch in London in December 2014. Abouammo later advertised it online, describing it as worth $35,000 and offering it for no less than $25,000.[^4] He told the FBI that the watch was "plasticky and cheap and worth approximately $500" and that he had received $100,000 from the official. The complaint states that he had received at least $300,000.[^2][^4] The Supreme Court's opinion states that the official wired him $300,000 in total.[^7] + +The payments include a $100,000 wire in February 2015 to a Beirut account that the Ninth Circuit describes as opened under his father's name, a $100,000 wire in July 2015 to the same Lebanese account, and a $100,000 wire in January 2016 to a Chase Bank account that Abouammo had opened.[^2][^4] The Justice Department stated at trial that he laundered the February 2015 money by sending it into the United States in small wire transfers with false descriptions.[^5] The superseding indictment charges him with money laundering, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and falsification of records.[^6] + +### The FBI interview + +On October 20, 2018 two FBI agents interviewed Abouammo at his home in Seattle. He told them that Binasaker worked for MiSK and the Prince Salman Youth Center, and that he had been paid $100,000 for services after leaving Twitter. He then emailed the agents two invoices, the second of which, according to its metadata, was created while he was upstairs retrieving it. That invoice is the document charged under 18 U.S.C. 1519.[^2][^7] + +### Trial and sentence + +A jury in San Francisco found Abouammo guilty on August 9, 2022 on Count One (acting as an agent of a foreign government), Count Four (conspiracy to commit wire fraud and honest services fraud), Count Eleven (wire fraud), Counts Twenty and Twenty-One (money laundering) and Count Twenty-Three (falsification of records). It acquitted him on five counts of wire fraud, and nine other counts were dismissed without prejudice.[^1][^3] + +Judge [[Edward M. Chen]] sentenced him in December 2022 to 42 months in prison, concurrent on each count, with three years of supervised release and forfeiture of $242,000. The advisory Guidelines range was 70 to 87 months.[^2][^8] + +### Appeal, resentencing and Supreme Court review + +The Ninth Circuit affirmed the convictions and vacated the sentence on December 4, 2024, and remanded for resentencing.[^2] At the resentencing on June 26, 2025 Judge Chen found a Guidelines range of 33 to 41 months and imposed time served on each of the six counts, with two years of supervised release, a $600 special assessment and no fine. The amended judgment of July 2, 2025 retains the $242,000 forfeiture.[^3] + +The Supreme Court granted certiorari on the venue question on December 5, 2025. On June 11, 2026 it reversed the Ninth Circuit in No. 25-5146, in a unanimous opinion by Justice Kagan, holding that a prosecution under 18 U.S.C. 1519 must be brought in the district where the falsification occurred, here Seattle, and remanded the case.[^7][^9] + +### Footnotes + +[^1]: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California, "United States v. Ahmad Abouammo," case page. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/united-states-v-ahmad-abouammo +[^2]: United States v. Abouammo, 122 F.4th 1072, No. 22-10348 (9th Cir. Dec. 4, 2024). https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2024/12/04/22-10348.pdf +[^3]: United States v. Abouammo, No. 3:19-cr-00621-EMC (N.D. Cal.): minute entry for resentencing (Dkt. 484, June 26, 2025) and amended judgment (Dkt. 482, July 2, 2025). https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.351689/gov.uscourts.cand.351689.482.0.pdf and https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.351689/gov.uscourts.cand.351689.484.0.pdf +[^4]: Criminal complaint and affidavit of FBI Special Agent Letitia Wu, United States v. Abouammo, No. 3:19-mj-71824-MAG (N.D. Cal., filed November 5, 2019). https://justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1215836/download +[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Former Twitter Employee Found Guilty of Acting as an Agent of a Foreign Government and Unlawfully Sharing Twitter User Information," August 10, 2022 (Wayback Machine capture of December 28, 2022). https://web.archive.org/web/20221228174236id_/https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-twitter-employee-found-guilty-acting-agent-foreign-government-and-unlawfully-sharing +[^6]: Superseding indictment, United States v. Abouammo, No. 3:19-cr-00621-EMC, Dkt. 53 (N.D. Cal., filed July 28, 2020). https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/page/file/1299331/dl +[^7]: Abouammo v. United States, 608 U.S. 597, No. 25-5146 (U.S. June 11, 2026). https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/608us2r46_2c8f.pdf +[^8]: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California, "Former Twitter Employee Sentenced To 42 Months In Federal Prison For Acting As A Foreign Agent," December 15, 2022 (Wayback Machine capture of December 28, 2022). https://web.archive.org/web/20221228102034id_/https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/former-twitter-employee-sentenced-42-months-federal-prison-acting-foreign-agent +[^9]: Supreme Court of the United States, docket for No. 25-5146, Abouammo v. United States. https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/25-5146.html diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Bader al-Asaker.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Bader al-Asaker.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..e624cc2d --- /dev/null +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Bader al-Asaker.md @@ -0,0 +1,79 @@ +--- +aliases: + - Bader al-Asaker + - Bader Alasaker + - Bader Binasaker + - Bader Al-Asaker + - Bader Al Asaker +category: "Political Figure" +tags: + - Person + - SaudiArabia + - SaudiRoyalCourt + - MiSK + - ForeignAgent + - Twitter +summary: "Saudi official, head of the crown prince's private office and secretary general of the MiSK Foundation; named as Bader Binasaker in the Ninth Circuit's Twitter espionage opinion, not charged." +location: "Riyadh, Saudi Arabia" +created: 2026-10-13 +updated: 2026-10-13 +relations: + - type: head_of + with: "[[Private Office of Mohammed bin Salman]]" + start: 2015-05 + fn: 3 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[MiSK Foundation]]" + role: "secretary general" + start: 2011 + fn: 2 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Prince Salman Youth Center]]" + role: "general supervisor" + fn: 2 + - type: participant_in + with: "[[Twitter Saudi espionage case]]" + role: "identified in the complaint as Foreign Official-1 and in the Ninth Circuit opinion as Bader Binasaker; not a defendant" + fn: 3 +--- + +Bader al-Asaker is a Saudi official who was secretary general of the [[MiSK Foundation]], the charitable foundation of Crown Prince [[Mohammed bin Salman]], and who headed the crown prince's private office. The complaint in the [[Twitter Saudi espionage case]] refers to him as Foreign Official-1. The Ninth Circuit opinion names him as Bader Binasaker, and a 2020 lawsuit by [[Saad Aljabri]] names him as Bader Alasaker. He is not a defendant in the case.[^1][^2] + +### Position + +The complaint describes Foreign Official-1 as the secretary general of a charitable organization founded by a member of the royal family, and states that by early 2015 he had become the head of that royal family member's private office. The complaint states that on the day of the June 2014 tour he emailed Abouammo about verifying the Twitter account of that royal family member, indicating that he worked for and at the direction of that member with respect to his online presence on the platform, and that from May 3, 2015 he listed the Royal Court as his employer. The superseding indictment gives the same description and dates the private office role to no later than May 2015.[^1][^3] The Justice Department's sentencing release describes the official as the head of the private office of a royal family member who was a Minister of State and then Minister of Defense and Deputy Crown Prince.[^4] + +The Ninth Circuit opinion describes Binasaker as a close associate and "right-hand-man" of the crown prince. It states that he was appointed secretary general of MiSK in 2011, that he was general supervisor of the Prince Salman Youth Center, and that he used an email address with the official domain of the crown prince's private office. A government expert at trial, Dr. Kristin Diwan, testified that MiSK and the youth center were "very connected to royal power and trying to forward agendas of the particular royal or of the state."[^2] + +A profile in Arab News of May 28, 2018 describes Al-Asaker as secretary general of the MiSK Foundation and of the King Salman Youth Center, and as head of the private office of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with the rank of minister since his appointment by royal decree in July 2017. It lists a bachelor's degree from King Saud University, membership of the Council of Saudi Chambers and a role as deputy general director of a Riyadh electronic systems and air conditioning firm, Alasaker for Electronic Systems and AC, established in 1980, and states that more than one million users followed his personal Twitter account.[^5] + +### Recruitment of Twitter employees + +The complaint states that [[Ahmad Abouammo]] arranged a Twitter tour for Saudi visitors in June 2014, that the official attended, and that the two met in London in December 2014, where the official gave Abouammo a watch.[^1][^3] The Ninth Circuit describes the same London meeting and the same watch, with Binasaker as the official, and states that the two discussed the @mujtahidd account there. Binasaker then sent Abouammo a dossier on the account in an email that referred to a "Mujtahid file."[^2] + +The Ninth Circuit describes Binasaker wiring $100,000 in February 2015 to a bank account in Lebanon opened under Abouammo's father's name, a further $100,000 in July 2015 and another $100,000 in January 2016. The complaint describes the payments as made by Foreign Official-1.[^1][^2] + +According to the Ninth Circuit, Binasaker submitted an A-2 visa application for diplomatic travelers, describing himself as a "foreign official/employee," when he travelled with a Saudi delegation for meetings at Camp David.[^2] + +### Alzabarah + +The Ninth Circuit opinion states that [[Ali Alzabarah]] had repeatedly accessed the @mujtahidd account after meeting Binasaker in May 2015. The complaint describes Alzabarah's contact with Foreign Official-1 through [[Ahmed Almutairi]], and the superseding indictment states that Foreign Official-1 contacted an employee of the Saudi Consulate in Los Angeles to coordinate Alzabarah's departure from the United States in December 2015.[^1][^2][^3] + +### Aljabri lawsuit + +Saad Aljabri's complaint in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, filed August 6, 2020, describes Bader Alasaker as the head of the crown prince's private office and executive director of the MiSK Foundation, and alleges that he cultivated a network of covert agents whom he deployed to target critics of the crown prince.[^6] The court's opinion of September 30, 2022, in No. 1:20-cv-02146-TJK, summarizes the amended complaint's allegations about him. Aljabri alleged that Alasaker repeatedly called and messaged him in 2017 to coordinate a private jet for his return to Saudi Arabia; that Alasaker oversaw, with bin Salman, the "Tiger Squad" said to have been dispatched to Canada in October 2018; that he traveled to the United States about twice a year, sometimes for MiSK events; that the Twitter employees in the California case were acting on his instructions and he eventually hired one of them for MiSK; and that he and bin Salman used MiSK to recruit Saudi students in the United States as informants. The opinion records that he was named as a defendant, that the court lacked personal jurisdiction over him, and that Aljabri had not plausibly alleged that bin Salman and Alasaker used MiSK to recruit students as agents. It notes that Aljabri did not allege that Alasaker took part in, or witnessed, questioning of a family friend at a MiSK event in New York in September 2017 at which Alasaker was present.[^7] + +### Reports of detention + +Middle East Eye reported on June 9, 2020 that there were strong indications, from sources outside the kingdom, that Asaker had been arrested, after Saudi activists including Omar Abdulaziz noted that his social media accounts had fallen quiet; his Twitter account posted again on June 8, 2020. The same report states that Turkish media had reported that Maher Mutreb, who led the operatives who killed [[Jamal Khashoggi]], called Asaker four times during the operation. The Saudi government did not comment.[^8] + +### Footnotes + +[^1]: Criminal complaint and affidavit of FBI Special Agent Letitia Wu, United States v. Abouammo, No. 3:19-mj-71824-MAG (N.D. Cal., filed November 5, 2019). https://justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1215836/download +[^2]: United States v. Abouammo, 122 F.4th 1072, No. 22-10348 (9th Cir. Dec. 4, 2024). https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2024/12/04/22-10348.pdf +[^3]: Superseding indictment, United States v. Abouammo, No. 3:19-cr-00621-EMC, Dkt. 53 (N.D. Cal., filed July 28, 2020). https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/page/file/1299331/dl +[^4]: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California, "Former Twitter Employee Sentenced To 42 Months In Federal Prison For Acting As A Foreign Agent," December 15, 2022 (Wayback Machine capture of December 28, 2022). https://web.archive.org/web/20221228102034id_/https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/former-twitter-employee-sentenced-42-months-federal-prison-acting-foreign-agent +[^5]: "FaceOf: Bader Al-Asaker, secretary-general of Misk Foundation," Arab News, May 28, 2018 (Wayback Machine capture of June 5, 2019). https://web.archive.org/web/20190605153204id_/http://www.arabnews.com/node/1310756/saudi-arabia +[^6]: Al Jazeera, "Former Saudi spy accuses MBS hit squad of attempting to kill him," August 6, 2020. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/8/6/former-saudi-spy-accuses-mbs-hit-squad-of-attempting-to-kill-him +[^7]: Memorandum opinion, Aljabri v. Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, No. 1:20-cv-02146-TJK, Dkt. 134 (D.D.C. Sept. 30, 2022). https://tlblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Aljabri_Memorandum-opinion-9.30.22.pdf +[^8]: "Saudi crown prince's top aide Bader al-Asaker believed arrested," Middle East Eye, June 2020. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-crown-princes-top-aide-bader-al-asaker-believed-arrested diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..4173d30b --- /dev/null +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud.md @@ -0,0 +1,106 @@ +--- +aliases: + - Bader bin Saud + - Bader bin Saud Al Saud + - Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud + - Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al-Saud + - Badr bin Saud + - Badr bin Saud Al Saud + - Badr bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud + - بدر بن سعود +category: "Military" +tags: + - Person + - SaudiArabia + - SaudiRoyalFamily + - GeneralIntelligencePresidency + - MinistryOfInterior + - HolyMosqueSecurity + - Hajj + - Columnist +summary: "Saudi brigadier general of the Ministry of Interior special forces, formerly of the General Intelligence Presidency special operations section and assistant commander of Grand Mosque security in Makkah; father of Khalid bin Bader Al Saud." +born: 1969 +location: "Makkah, Saudi Arabia" +created: 2026-10-13 +updated: 2026-10-13 +relations: + - type: employed_by + with: "[[General Intelligence Presidency]]" + role: "special operations section, posting undated" + fn: 1 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Ministry of Interior]]" + role: "assistant commander, special force for the security of the Grand Mosque, Makkah" + start: 2019-06 + fn: 2 + - type: relative_of + with: "[[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]]" + role: "son" + start: 1994-09 + fn: 11 + - type: relative_of + with: "[[Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]]" + role: "brother (both sons of Saud bin Mohammed)" + fn: 5 +--- +Prince Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud is a Saudi brigadier general and an officer of the special forces of the [[Ministry of Interior]]. He was assistant commander of the force that guards the [[Grand Mosque]] in [[Makkah]] from June 2019, after an early posting to the special operations section of the [[General Intelligence Presidency]].[^1][^2] He was born in 1969 in [[Riyadh]].[^3] + +### Lineage + +He is the son of Saud bin Mohammed, and Saudi press gives his name as Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed.[^4] Al-Jazirah gave the full name of his father in January 2016 as Saud bin Mohammed (al-Mutawwa) bin Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Faisal bin Turki.[^5] A 2024 biography extends the chain the same way: Mohammed's father is Abdulaziz, a son of [[Saud bin Faisal bin Turki Al Saud]].[^3] + +### Police and General Intelligence Presidency + +He graduated from the [[King Fahd Security College]] in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in security sciences, and took a postgraduate diploma in police sciences from the same college in 1995.[^1] Arab News wrote in 2019 that after graduation "Prince Bader worked as an officer, detective and search officer with the Riyadh provincial police department before being posted to the Saudi General Intelligence agency to join its special operations section."[^1] A 2024 biography places the Riyadh police service in the Sulaymaniyah and Olaya districts and calls his intelligence post that of special operations officer.[^3] + +He then moved to the [[General Directorate of Public Security]] and worked as a detective with the [[Makkah Police]]. A promotion to director of the Makkah police public relations and media department followed, and then an appointment as director of the internal patrol section of the [[Special Force for Holy Mosque Security]].[^1] The 2024 biography adds posts as director of the courtyard patrols section and of the patrols division of the force, and as assistant commander of the Public Security training city in [[Madinah]].[^3] He is a recipient of King Faisal's Merit, fourth rank.[^1] + +### Grand Mosque special force, 2019 and 2020 + +On June 20, 2019, [[Al-Madina]] reported that the Director of Public Security, Gen. [[Khalid bin Qarar Al-Harbi]], had issued a decision appointing Brig. Gen. Dr. Bader bin Saud Al Saud assistant to the commander of the special force for the security of the Grand Mosque, and that he had worked for years in the force before returning to it as assistant.[^2] On August 27, 2019, the [[Saudi Press Agency]] quoted him, as Prince Brig. Gen. Dr. Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed, assistant commander of the force and supervisor of its field operations, on the security plans for the Umrah season beginning the following month.[^6] [[Arab News]] profiled him as assistant commander on September 23, 2019, and described him as a Ph.D. candidate in information sciences at [[King Abdulaziz University]].[^1] + +[[Okaz]] reported on June 1, 2020 that the acting commander of the force, Brig. Gen. Dr. Bader bin Saud Al Saud, had received a second doctorate.[^7] A 2024 biography describes him as the new deputy for Hajj and Umrah security, announced by Gen. Khalid bin Qarar Al-Harbi, and places the appointment in the period of COVID-19 precautions for the Umrah season.[^3] An Okaz report of August 19, 2025 names Maj. Gen. Dr. Fawaz al-Mutaihi as commander of the special forces for Hajj and Umrah security.[^8] + +### Education, writing and other activities + +In 2005 he received a master's degree in international journalism from the [[University of Westminster]], and in 2014 a doctorate in media and communication from [[Goldsmiths, University of London]].[^1] In 2020 he received a second doctorate, in information science with a specialization in knowledge management, from King Abdulaziz University; the thesis, on transfer and sharing of tacit knowledge and its role in crowd management in the Hajj season, was recommended for publication.[^7] + +He has published research papers in academic journals and has been a regular contributor to the opinion pages of national dailies.[^1] A 2024 biography adds that he was once president of the Saudi students' clubs in the [[United Kingdom]] and Ireland, and that he is a paratrooper.[^3] + +### Family + +His father, Saud bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, died on December 29, 2015 (18 Rabi al-Thani 1437); the [[Saudi Royal Court]] announced the death and prayers were held at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh.[^9] Al-Jazirah's biography of him, published January 22, 2016, names more than thirty children and lists among his sons "Prince Dr. Turki, president of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology" and "Prince Dr. Colonel Paratrooper (Badr)," then of the special force for the security of the Grand Mosque, former head of public relations and media for the Makkah police, and former president of the Saudi student clubs in the United Kingdom and Ireland, whose mother was Princess Al-Anoud bint Abdullah Al-Furm.[^5] His brother is [[Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]], president of the [[King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology]] from 2015 to 2021 and an adviser to the Royal Court with ministerial rank from December 27, 2018.[^5][^10] + +Khalid bin Bader Al Saud is his son. The [[Companies House]] officer record for Khalid carries the name "Khalid Bin Bader Bin Saud Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz AL SAUD" on two records and "Khalid Bin Badr Bin Saud M. Bin ABDULAZIZ AL SAUD" on a third; the name is an Arabic nasab, which states parentage: Khalid, son of Bader, son of Saud, son of Mohammed, son of Abdulaziz. The records show him born in September 1994 and of Saudi nationality, and list him as a director of three UK companies: KEKO HOSPITALITY LTD from November 8, 2021 (place of residence Saudi Arabia), KEKO GROUP LTD from June 17, 2022 (England) and KEKO LC LTD from July 5, 2023 (United Kingdom). All three are dissolved.[^11] [[Scott Stedman]] was the first to report the link, writing on X on October 13, 2026: "Prince Khalid bin Bader Al Saud appears to be the son of Brigadier General Prince Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud, who previously served in the special operations section of Saudi Arabia's General Intelligence Agency."[^12] + +Arabic press names Prince Khalid bin Badr Al Saud as the founder of [[Echelon (company)]], a Riyadh artificial intelligence company founded in 2025, and lists [[RAED Ventures]] among its investors. The Arabic spelling gives the father's name as Badr.[^13] + +Turki's three UK officer records carry "Turki Bin Saud Bin Mohammed BIN ABDULAZIZ AL SAUD." He is a director and a person with significant control, holding 75 percent or more of the shares and votes, of Pulsed Fusion Energy Ltd, European Launch System Ltd and Solid Orbit Ltd, as person with significant control from May 13, May 18 and June 2, 2024, and as director from August 13, 2026.[^14] + +### Namesakes + +Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (1910-1988), a son of King Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud and the first Saudi-era emir of Madinah, had thirteen children, including a son named Badr. He is not the Mohammed in the lineage above, which runs through Saud bin Faisal.[^15] + +Prince Badr bin Abdulaziz, a half-brother of King Abdullah, was deputy commander of the [[Saudi Arabian National Guard]] from 1968 until he retired in November 2010. He died in late March 2013 in his early eighties.[^16] He is a different person from the subject of this page. + +Badr bin Abdul Mohsen Al Saud, a son of Prince Abdul Mohsen bin Abdulaziz, was a poet who died on May 4, 2024.[^17] He is a different person from the subject of this page. + +### Footnotes + +[^1]: Arab News, "Brig. Gen. Prince Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al-Saud, assistant commander for special forces security at Makkah's Grand Mosque," unsigned, published September 23, 2019, updated September 26, 2019. https://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/brig-gen-prince-bader-bin-saud-bin-mohammed-al-saud-assistant-commander-for-special-forces-security-at-makkahs-grand-mosque-1558696 Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20261013214925/https://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/brig-gen-prince-bader-bin-saud-bin-mohammed-al-saud-assistant-commander-for-special-forces-security-at-makkahs-grand-mosque-1558696 +[^2]: Al-Madina, "بدر بن سعود مساعدا لقائد قوة المسجد الحرام" (Bader bin Saud assistant to the commander of the Grand Mosque force), June 20, 2019. https://www.al-madina.com/article/636444/ +[^3]: Mhtwyat, "من هو بدر بن سعود نائب أمن الحج والعمرة الجديد" (Who is Bader bin Saud, the new deputy for Hajj and Umrah security), November 18, 2024. https://mhtwyat.com/?p=65427 +[^4]: Okaz, "ترقية حرم الأمير بدر بن سعود" (Promotion of the wife of Prince Bader bin Saud), April 20, 2020. https://www.okaz.com.sa/people-situations/na/2020478 +[^5]: Al-Jazirah, "Saud bin Mohammed: journey and history," January 22, 2016, https://www.al-jazirah.com/2016/20160122/wa1.htm. Sons listed include Khalid (eldest), Turki, Abdulaziz "al-Samer," Sultan, Saad, Badr, Nawaf, Mutaib, Faisal and others; Badr's mother is named as Al-Anoud bint Abdullah bin Abdulmohsen Al-Furm. +[^6]: Al Riyadh, "بدر بن سعود: قوة أمن المسجد الحرام مستعدة لموسم العمرة" (Bader bin Saud: Grand Mosque security force ready for the Umrah season), Saudi Press Agency report, August 27, 2019. https://www.alriyadh.com/1773411 +[^7]: Okaz, "بدر بن سعود يحصل على الدكتوراه في إدارة الحشود بـ «امتياز»" (Bader bin Saud receives a doctorate in crowd management with distinction), June 1, 2020. https://www.okaz.com.sa/people-situations/na/2026456 +[^8]: Okaz, "نائب أمير منطقة مكة يستقبل قائد القوات الخاصة لأمن الحج والعمرة" (Deputy emir of Makkah receives the commander of the special forces for Hajj and Umrah security), August 19, 2025. https://www.okaz.com.sa/news/local/2209488 +[^9]: Saudi Press Agency via Argaam, "Royal Court: death of Prince Saud bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz," December 29, 2015, https://www.argaam.com/ar/article/articledetail/id/402458 (also Al-Riyadh, https://alriyadh.com/1114485). +[^10]: Al Bayan, "Royal orders," December 27, 2018, https://www.albayan.ae/one-world/arabs/2018-12-27-1.3444982; Arab News, "KACST embarks on new era under Prince Turki," February 3, 2015, https://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/kacst-embarks-on-new-era-under-prince-turki-698736. +[^11]: Companies House, officer appointment records for Khalid Bin Bader Bin Saud Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz AL SAUD: KEKO HOSPITALITY LTD (13728119), https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/cDyKBRijBKybt11YmLstKwJeiaI/appointments (archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20261013214609/https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/cDyKBRijBKybt11YmLstKwJeiaI/appointments); KEKO GROUP LTD (14180252), https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/qEEjrdlLsxBzKgtrPk3zXU_hYPc/appointments (archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20261013214634/https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/qEEjrdlLsxBzKgtrPk3zXU_hYPc/appointments); KEKO LC LTD (14981729), https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/1_JGhZeOABBdFc81fghIvIkr858/appointments (archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20261013214654/https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/1_JGhZeOABBdFc81fghIvIkr858/appointments). +[^12]: Scott Stedman, post on X, October 13, 2026. https://x.com/i/web/status/2110106692914696402 +[^13]: Wamda, "Saudi AI startup Echelon secures backing from East40, RAED Ventures, Avra" (Arabic), October 7, 2026. https://www.wamda.com/2026/10/saudi-ai-startup-echelon-secures-backing-east40-raed-ventures-avra-arabic Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20261013214422/https://www.wamda.com/2026/10/saudi-ai-startup-echelon-secures-backing-east40-raed-ventures-avra-arabic +[^14]: UK Companies House, officer record qEEjrdlLsxBzKgtrPk3zXU_hYPc (Khalid) and dysOEwiK9fb-UPNURIGrzji6LrQ (Turki), https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/qEEjrdlLsxBzKgtrPk3zXU_hYPc/appointments and https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/dysOEwiK9fb-UPNURIGrzji6LrQ/appointments; companies 15717442, 15727737, 15755615. +[^15]: Saudipedia (Arabic), "محمد بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود" (Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud), children section. https://saudipedia.com/ar/محمد-بن-عبدالعزيز-آل-سعود +[^16]: Gulf States Newsletter, report on the death of Prince Badr bin Abdelaziz, April 12, 2013 (Issue 944). https://www.gsn-online.com/article/saudi-arabia-badr-bin-abdelaziz-funeral +[^17]: elcinema, "Badr bin Abdel Mohsen Al Saud (-2024)." https://elcinema.com/en/person/1999799 diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Jay Clayton.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Jay Clayton.md index 8a17e65b..6b96cf57 100644 --- a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Jay Clayton.md +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Jay Clayton.md @@ -46,8 +46,18 @@ relations: role: "assigned by the Attorney General to investigate Epstein's dealings with Clinton, Summers, Hoffman and JPMorgan Chase" start: 2025-11-14 fn: 3 + - type: head_of + with: "[[Director of National Intelligence]]" + start: 2026-08-03 + role: "ninth Director of National Intelligence; sworn in after Senate confirmation the prior week" + fn: 4 + - type: subject_of + with: "[[NSPM-11]]" + start: 2026-06-05 + role: "named DNI in Sections 3(b), 4 and 5 of the memorandum, signed before his confirmation" + fn: 15 created: 2026-09-25 -updated: 2026-09-25 +updated: 2026-10-13 --- Walter J. "Jay" Clayton III is an American lawyer who was a partner of [[Sullivan & Cromwell]], chairman of the [[Securities and Exchange Commission]] from 2017 to 2020, non-executive chairman of [[Apollo Global Management]] in succession to its founder [[Leon Black]], and from 2025 [[United States]] Attorney for the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]]. In November 2025 Attorney General [[Pam Bondi]] assigned him to investigate [[Jeffrey Epstein]]'s dealings with [[Bill Clinton]], [[Larry Summers]], [[Reid Hoffman]] and [[JPMorgan Chase]]; Hoffman and [[Deutsche Bank]] had been among the clients Clayton disclosed on his 2017 government ethics filing. He was sworn in as the ninth [[Director of National Intelligence]] on August 3, 2026.[^1][^2][^3][^4] @@ -78,6 +88,14 @@ Trump nominated Clayton for Director of National Intelligence to fill the post v He was succeeded in Manhattan by Jamie McDonald, who had served as director of enforcement at the [[Commodity Futures Trading Commission]] from 2017 to 2020 and then as a partner of Sullivan & Cromwell.[^13] +### Roles Under NSPM-11 + +On October 13, 2026 the Justice Department announced the arrest of [[Abdulrahman Alfozan]] and quoted Clayton, identified in the release as Director of National Intelligence, as saying: "This serious situation underscores why winning the global super intelligence race is a national security prerogative." The same quotation refers to "President Trump's leadership in creating the Super Intelligence Force," and continues: "I thank Director Patel and our FBI partners for their diligence and swift action. The intelligence community remains committed to safeguarding America's cutting-edge intellectual property from foreign threats."[^14] + +[[NSPM-11|National Security Presidential Memorandum 11]], signed by Donald Trump on June 5, 2026, is addressed to the DNI as an office and assigns it roles in several sections. Section 4(e) states: "The DNI, in coordination with IC elements, shall prioritize the collection and analysis of foreign AI technologies, across the AI technology stack, AI applications and uses, and AI governance and policies that pose a threat to United States national security, economic security, and strategic competitiveness." Other assignments run to the review of AI procurement with the Secretary of War (Section 4(a)), a roadmap for advanced computing access (Section 4(b)), partnerships with private-sector companies through the AI Security Center (Section 4(c)), joint AI data and model exchanges (Section 4(f)), the AI for National Security Curriculum with the Secretary of War (Section 5(c)), and a joint AI risk-management strategy (Section 5(e)).[^15] + +The memorandum was signed on June 5, 2026, before Clayton's confirmation.[^4] + ### Footnotes [^1]: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, "Jay Clayton," SEC Historical Summary of Chairmen and Commissioners. https://www.sec.gov/about/sec-commissioners/sec-historical-summary-chairmen-commissioners/jay-clayton @@ -93,3 +111,5 @@ He was succeeded in Manhattan by Jamie McDonald, who had served as director of e [^11]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 1:20-cr-00330 (S.D.N.Y.), letters re Epstein Files Transparency Act review, ECF No. 839 (Jan. 15, 2026) and ECF No. 847 (Jan. 31, 2026). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/ [^12]: McLaughlin, Jenna. "Senate confirms Jay Clayton as director of national intelligence." *NPR,* July 29, 2026. https://www.npr.org/2026/07/29/nx-s1-5910749/senate-confirms-jay-clayton-as-director-of-national-intelligence [^13]: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, "Meet the U.S. Attorney," accessed September 25, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/meet-us-attorney +[^14]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Saudi National Arrested for Installing Surreptitious Audio Recording Device at OpenAI," press release 26-1173, October 13, 2026: "This serious situation underscores why winning the global super intelligence race is a national security prerogative." https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/saudi-national-arrested-installing-surreptitious-audio-recording-device-openai +[^15]: The White House, "National Security Presidential Memorandum/NSPM-11," signed June 5, 2026, Sections 4(a), 4(b), 4(c), 4(e), 4(f) and 5(c), 5(e). https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/06/national-security-presidential-memorandum-nspm-11/ diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Kamal Adham.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Kamal Adham.md index 0d5a8574..f7e31baa 100644 --- a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Kamal Adham.md +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Kamal Adham.md @@ -13,98 +13,102 @@ relations: with: "[[Anwar Sadat]]" role: "payments made on behalf of the CIA to Sadat when he was vice president, as described by press accounts cited by the Senate BCCI report" start: 1970 - fn: 6 + fn: 9 - type: partner_of with: "[[Central Intelligence Agency]]" role: "principal liaison for the Middle East, mid-1960s through 1979, per the Senate BCCI report" start: 1965 end: 1979 - fn: 18 + fn: 20 - type: owned with: "[[Credit and Commerce American Holdings]]" role: "nominee shareholder for BCCI" - fn: 14 + fn: 17 - type: head_of - with: "[[Saudi Arabian intelligence]]" - fn: 12 + with: "[[General Intelligence Presidency]]" + role: "first director of the service" + end: 1979 + fn: 4 - type: represented with: "[[Clark Clifford]]" reverse: true - fn: 14 + fn: 17 - type: prosecuted with: "[[United States Department of Justice]]" reverse: true end: 1992-07-29 - fn: 22 + fn: 24 - type: investigated with: "[[Securities and Exchange Commission]]" reverse: true role: "probe under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act into Boeing and Lockheed arms sales to Saudi Arabia; Federal Reserve staff learned of it in 1981" - fn: 17 + fn: 19 --- -Kamal Adham was the former head of [[Saudi Arabian intelligence]] and brother-in-law of the late [[King Faisal]]. He was a significant shareholder in [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International|BCCI]] and [[First American Bank]]. Adham was a shrewd and jovial figure who straddled the worlds of Middle Eastern business and politics for decades. He was considered one of the true inside power players of the [[Middle East]].[^1] +Kamal Adham was the former head of the [[General Intelligence Presidency]] and brother-in-law of the late [[King Faisal]]. He was a significant shareholder in [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International|BCCI]] and [[First American Bank]]. Adham was a shrewd and jovial figure who straddled the worlds of Middle Eastern business and politics for decades. He was considered one of the true inside power players of the [[Middle East]].[^1] -Adham's influence stemmed from his royal connections, which he leveraged to facilitate business deals. He was the principal liaison between the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] and European intelligence agencies, operating under the code name "Tumbleweed."[^2] His role in Saudi intelligence involved assisting the royalists in [[Yemen]]'s civil war and later wielding wider influence through surveillance of Saudi citizens and political enemies of the king.[^3] +Adham's influence stemmed from his royal connections, which he leveraged to facilitate business deals. He was the principal liaison between the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] and European intelligence agencies, operating under the code name "Tumbleweed."[^2] His role in Saudi intelligence involved assisting the royalists in [[Yemen]]'s civil war and later wielding wider influence through surveillance of Saudi citizens and political enemies of the king.[^3] [[Joseph Kechichian]] wrote that King Faisal appointed Adham, born in Istanbul in 1929, as the first and only ethnic non-Arab chief of Saudi intelligence, a post he held until 1979, when [[King Khalid]] replaced him with [[Turki al-Faisal]].[^4] Arab News wrote in 2001 that Adham was the first director of the agency, established in the mid-1960s, before Turki al-Faisal took over in 1977.[^5] The Senate BCCI report described Adham and [[A. R. (Abdul Raouf) Khalil|A. R. Khalil]] as "two successive heads of Saudi intelligence."[^6] -He played a crucial role as a front man for [[Agha Hasan Abedi]] in BCCI's secret acquisitions, including the [[National Bank of Georgia]] and [[Financial General Bankshares]].[^4] Jonathan Beaty and S. C. Gwynne wrote that Adham was instrumental in funneling money from [[Zayed bin Sultan AL-Nahayan|Sheikh Zayed]] and the CIA to [[Anwar Sadat]] and credited him with pressuring Sadat to engage in the [[Camp David summit|Camp David Accords]].[^5] Press accounts from the late 1970s described Adham as having made payments on behalf of the CIA to Sadat when Sadat was Nasser's vice president and in financial difficulty.[^6] The Senate report describes the key role Adham played at Camp David as encouraging other Arab political figures not to repudiate Sadat for agreeing to peace with Israel, and it does not describe him as pressuring Sadat into the talks.[^7] +He played a crucial role as a front man for [[Agha Hasan Abedi]] in BCCI's secret acquisitions, including the [[National Bank of Georgia]] and [[Financial General Bankshares]].[^7] Jonathan Beaty and S. C. Gwynne wrote that Adham was instrumental in funneling money from [[Zayed bin Sultan AL-Nahayan|Sheikh Zayed]] and the CIA to [[Anwar Sadat]] and credited him with pressuring Sadat to engage in the [[Camp David summit|Camp David Accords]].[^8] Press accounts from the late 1970s described Adham as having made payments on behalf of the CIA to Sadat when Sadat was Nasser's vice president and in financial difficulty.[^9] The Senate report describes the key role Adham played at Camp David as encouraging other Arab political figures not to repudiate Sadat for agreeing to peace with Israel, and it does not describe him as pressuring Sadat into the talks.[^10] -Adham was indicted in the [[United States]] for his involvement in BCCI's frauds and bribery, eventually pleading guilty in New York and agreeing to cooperate with prosecutors. He paid a $105 million fine.[^8] +Adham was indicted in the [[United States]] for his involvement in BCCI's frauds and bribery, eventually pleading guilty in New York and agreeing to cooperate with prosecutors. He paid a $105 million fine.[^11] ### Early Life and Career -Born in 1929, Kamal Adham was the son of Dr. Rashad Pharaon, physician to [[King Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud]], the founder of modern [[Saudi Arabia]]. His father's position within the royal inner circle provided Adham with significant access and influence from a young age.[^9] He received a good education, attending the best French schools.[^10] +Born in 1929, Kamal Adham was the son of Dr. Rashad Pharaon, physician to [[King Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud]], the founder of modern [[Saudi Arabia]]. His father's position within the royal inner circle provided Adham with significant access and influence from a young age.[^12] He received a good education, attending the best French schools.[^13] -Adham launched his business career in 1951, at the age of twenty-two, by controlling the franchise for [[Carrier Corp]] air conditioners. He expanded his ventures to include a TUP bottling plant, and companies that built roads, airports, and imported elevators and computers. By the mid-1960s, his influence grew to the point where he represented multiple defense firms and became a principal broker for weapons purchased by Saudi Arabia on behalf of Egypt.[^11] +Adham launched his business career in 1951, at the age of twenty-two, by controlling the franchise for [[Carrier Corp]] air conditioners. He expanded his ventures to include a TUP bottling plant, and companies that built roads, airports, and imported elevators and computers. By the mid-1960s, his influence grew to the point where he represented multiple defense firms and became a principal broker for weapons purchased by Saudi Arabia on behalf of Egypt.[^14] ### Relationship with Abedi and BCCI -Abedi met Adham in the early 1970s through [[Sheikh Zayed]]. Adham became a key figure in Abedi's strategy to expand BCCI's influence in the United States. He was a nominal lead shareholder in First American Bank and was responsible for hiring [[Clark Clifford]] and [[Robert Altman]] to lead the bank.[^12] Adham's role was to provide a veneer of legitimacy and access for BCCI's clandestine operations. +Abedi met Adham in the early 1970s through [[Sheikh Zayed]]. Adham became a key figure in Abedi's strategy to expand BCCI's influence in the United States. He was a nominal lead shareholder in First American Bank and was responsible for hiring [[Clark Clifford]] and [[Robert Altman]] to lead the bank.[^15] Adham's role was to provide a veneer of legitimacy and access for BCCI's clandestine operations. ### Involvement in Nuclear Programs -Adham publicly asserted that [[Pakistan]] possessed an atomic bomb and that Abedi and BCCI had financially supported its development. He viewed this as an achievement for the Third World, challenging Western powers' control over nuclear technology.[^13] +Adham publicly asserted that [[Pakistan]] possessed an atomic bomb and that Abedi and BCCI had financially supported its development. He viewed this as an achievement for the Third World, challenging Western powers' control over nuclear technology.[^16] ### The Federal Reserve Hearing -Adham was one of four original investors, with [[Faisal Saud al-Fulaij]], Sheikh [[Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan]] and Abdullah Darwaish, named as holders of Financial General shares in 1978; the memo of the BCCI officer [[Abdus Sami]] to Agha Hasan Abedi of January 30, 1978, reported: "We have already given the names of Sheikh Kamal Adham and Mr. Fulaig [sic]. We want two other names immediately."[^14][^15] At the [[Federal Reserve Board|Federal Reserve]] hearing of April 23, 1981, he testified that "whatever relationships are developed between Financial General and BCCI in the future, if any, are matters to be decided by the new management of Financial General based upon that institution's best interests." Asked whether it was a coincidence that BCCI had analyzed Financial General for him and then advised other clients to invest, he said: "That is very possible. Such things happen in our parts of the world." He told the regulators, falsely according to the [[BCCI Kerry-Brown Senate Report|Kerry-Brown Senate Report]], that he had not met Fulaij for ten years; the two had acted together as BCCI nominees in dealings in the shares of BCCI's [[Attock Oil]]. "I would like to assure you," he said, "that each one on his own rights will not accept in any way to be a cover for somebody else."[^14] Clark Clifford described him to the regulators not as the former head of Saudi intelligence or the late king's brother-in-law, "but merely as a prominent Saudi businessman," and said he had the "deepest respect for his [Adham's] character, for his reputation, for his honor and for his integrity."[^14] In early drafts of the arrangement by which Clifford and Robert Altman acquired CCAH shares, Adham, with BCCI as back-up, was to be bound to repurchase their shares at any time at their discretion; the requirement was never discussed with him, which the Senate report took as showing that Clifford, Altman and BCCI regarded him "as no more than a nominee for BCCI."[^16] +Adham was one of four original investors, with [[Faisal Saud al-Fulaij]], Sheikh [[Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan]] and Abdullah Darwaish, named as holders of Financial General shares in 1978; the memo of the BCCI officer [[Abdus Sami]] to Agha Hasan Abedi of January 30, 1978, reported: "We have already given the names of Sheikh Kamal Adham and Mr. Fulaig [sic]. We want two other names immediately."[^6][^17] At the [[Federal Reserve Board|Federal Reserve]] hearing of April 23, 1981, he testified that "whatever relationships are developed between Financial General and BCCI in the future, if any, are matters to be decided by the new management of Financial General based upon that institution's best interests." Asked whether it was a coincidence that BCCI had analyzed Financial General for him and then advised other clients to invest, he said: "That is very possible. Such things happen in our parts of the world." He told the regulators, falsely according to the [[BCCI Kerry-Brown Senate Report|Kerry-Brown Senate Report]], that he had not met Fulaij for ten years; the two had acted together as BCCI nominees in dealings in the shares of BCCI's [[Attock Oil]]. "I would like to assure you," he said, "that each one on his own rights will not accept in any way to be a cover for somebody else."[^17] Clark Clifford described him to the regulators not as the former head of Saudi intelligence or the late king's brother-in-law, "but merely as a prominent Saudi businessman," and said he had the "deepest respect for his [Adham's] character, for his reputation, for his honor and for his integrity."[^17] In early drafts of the arrangement by which Clifford and Robert Altman acquired CCAH shares, Adham, with BCCI as back-up, was to be bound to repurchase their shares at any time at their discretion; the requirement was never discussed with him, which the Senate report took as showing that Clifford, Altman and BCCI regarded him "as no more than a nominee for BCCI."[^18] -In a letter to the Federal Reserve of April 10, 1991, Adham gave another account of the investment's origin: a friend, Hasan Yassin, had told him Financial General would be a good investment, and he had brought it to BCCI "as his business agent." The Senate report called this "completely inconsistent" with the accounts of [[Bert Lance]], the *[[The Washington Post|Washington Post]]* and Robert Altman, and noted that Lance had never heard of Yassin.[^14] +In a letter to the Federal Reserve of April 10, 1991, Adham gave another account of the investment's origin: a friend, Hasan Yassin, had told him Financial General would be a good investment, and he had brought it to BCCI "as his business agent." The Senate report called this "completely inconsistent" with the accounts of [[Bert Lance]], the *[[The Washington Post|Washington Post]]* and Robert Altman, and noted that Lance had never heard of Yassin.[^17] -The Senate report states that the Federal Reserve asked the Central Intelligence Agency in 1981 whether it held derogatory information on the Middle Eastern shareholders of CCAH. The CIA replied that it had none, and did not tell the Federal Reserve that Adham and [[A. R. (Abdul Raouf) Khalil|Abdul Raouf Khalil]] were intelligence liaisons of the United States. Adham had also been the subject of a [[Securities and Exchange Commission]] probe under the [[Foreign Corrupt Practices Act]] into [[Boeing]] and Lockheed arms sales to Saudi Arabia. The report states that Federal Reserve staff learned of the intelligence contacts and of the commission's probe into Adham's and Faisal al-Fulaij's alleged receipt of bribes in 1981.[^17] +The Senate report states that the Federal Reserve asked the Central Intelligence Agency in 1981 whether it held derogatory information on the Middle Eastern shareholders of CCAH. The CIA replied that it had none, and did not tell the Federal Reserve that Adham and Abdul Raouf Khalil were intelligence liaisons of the United States. Adham had also been the subject of a [[Securities and Exchange Commission]] probe under the [[Foreign Corrupt Practices Act]] into [[Boeing]] and Lockheed arms sales to Saudi Arabia. The report states that Federal Reserve staff learned of the intelligence contacts and of the commission's probe into Adham's and Faisal al-Fulaij's alleged receipt of bribes in 1981.[^19] ### Camp David and the Federal Reserve hearing -Adham was the CIA's principal liaison for the Middle East from the mid-1960s through 1979, according to the Senate report, and at the Federal Reserve hearing of April 23, 1981 he did not mention that background, his historic ties to the CIA, or that he had acted as the most important liaison between the United States and his friend Sadat in the negotiation of the Camp David accords.[^18] Clark Clifford, in sworn interrogatories, said he believed Adham's roles in Camp David and in the simultaneous takeover of Financial General were coincidence, and that Adham had told him of his friendship with Sadat without mentioning any role in Camp David.[^19] Adham told U.S. investigators that his involvement and BCCI's purchase of First American were unrelated to Camp David.[^20] +Adham was the CIA's principal liaison for the Middle East from the mid-1960s through 1979, according to the Senate report, and at the Federal Reserve hearing of April 23, 1981 he did not mention that background, his historic ties to the CIA, or that he had acted as the most important liaison between the United States and his friend Sadat in the negotiation of the Camp David accords.[^20] Clark Clifford, in sworn interrogatories, said he believed Adham's roles in Camp David and in the simultaneous takeover of Financial General were coincidence, and that Adham had told him of his friendship with Sadat without mentioning any role in Camp David.[^21] Adham told U.S. investigators that his involvement and BCCI's purchase of First American were unrelated to Camp David.[^22] ### Intelligence Background -The Senate report recorded that the CIA, asked about the CCAH shareholders, told the Federal Reserve it had no derogatory information on them, without telling it that Adham and Abdul Raouf Khalil were "the past and then-current Saudi intelligence liaisons to the United States," or that Adham and Fulaij had been the subject of a Securities and Exchange Commission inquiry under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act into arms sales to Saudi Arabia by Boeing and [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]]. Paul Volcker, who as chairman of the Federal Reserve signed the 1981 approval, testified in 1991 that he "wasn't aware" of Adham's intelligence background and that it "might send an eyebrow or two up." The Virginia bank regulator Sidney Bailey asked the [[State Department]] and the CIA for information on the shareholders and received none; "at the time," the report found, "the CIA knew precisely who Adham was."[^14][^21] +The Senate report recorded that the CIA, asked about the CCAH shareholders, told the Federal Reserve it had no derogatory information on them, without telling it that Adham and Abdul Raouf Khalil were "the past and then-current Saudi intelligence liaisons to the United States," or that Adham and Fulaij had been the subject of a Securities and Exchange Commission inquiry under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act into arms sales to Saudi Arabia by Boeing and [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]]. Paul Volcker, who as chairman of the Federal Reserve signed the 1981 approval, testified in 1991 that he "wasn't aware" of Adham's intelligence background and that it "might send an eyebrow or two up." The Virginia bank regulator Sidney Bailey asked the [[State Department]] and the CIA for information on the shareholders and received none; "at the time," the report found, "the CIA knew precisely who Adham was."[^17][^23] ### Plea -On July 29, 1992, the [[United States Department of Justice|Justice Department]] announced that Adham and his accountant, Sayed Jawhary, had pleaded guilty to charges arising from the BCCI case, and that Adham had agreed to cooperate with investigators and to pay 105 million dollars in reparations and fines.[^22] +On July 29, 1992, the [[United States Department of Justice|Justice Department]] announced that Adham and his accountant, Sayed Jawhary, had pleaded guilty to charges arising from the BCCI case, and that Adham had agreed to cooperate with investigators and to pay 105 million dollars in reparations and fines.[^24] ### Footnotes [^1]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 197. [^2]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 199. [^3]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 199. -[^4]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 200. -[^5]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 200. -[^6]: U.S. Senate, Committee on Foreign Relations, *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate*, S. Prt. 102-140, December 1992, pp. 299-300 and note 779, quoting Bob Woodward, *Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA, 1981-1987*, Simon and Schuster, 1987, p. 352. -[^7]: S. Prt. 102-140, p. 301 (Camp David finding): "The key role played by Adham in Camp David was apparently to encourage other Arab political figures not to repudiate Sadat for agreeing to peace with Israel." -[^8]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 14. -[^9]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 203. -[^10]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 203. -[^11]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 198. -[^12]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 197. -[^13]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 310. -[^14]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 6, "BCCI in the United States: Initial Entry." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/06early.htm -[^15]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 14, "Abu Dhabi: BCCI's Founding and Majority Stockholders." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm -[^16]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 13, "Clark Clifford and Robert Altman." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/13clifford.htm -[^17]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 11, "BCCI, the CIA and Foreign Intelligence" (the CIA's reply to the Federal Reserve; the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act probe; text following notes 10 to 12). https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/11intel.htm -[^18]: S. Prt. 102-140, pp. 299-300 (CIA liaison; Federal Reserve testimony of April 23, 1981), with notes 778 and 783. -[^19]: S. Prt. 102-140, p. 301, note 789 (Clark Clifford sworn interrogatories). -[^20]: S. Prt. 102-140, p. 301 (Adham's account to U.S. investigators, as summarized by the report). -[^21]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 11, "BCCI, the CIA and Foreign Intelligence." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/11intel.htm -[^22]: "Clifford, Altman indicted in BCCI bank fraud," United Press International, July 29, 1992. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1992/07/29/Clifford-Altman-indicted-in-BCCI-bank-fraud/5122712382400/ +[^4]: Joseph A. Kechichian, "The man behind the scenes: Kamal Adham served rulers of Saudi Arabia with distinction," Gulf News, February 12, 2010. https://gulfnews.com/uae/the-man-behind-the-scenes-1.581564 +[^5]: "Prince Nawaf new intelligence chief," Arab News, September 1, 2001. https://www.arabnews.com/node/214954 +[^6]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 14, "Abu Dhabi: BCCI's Founding and Majority Stockholders." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm +[^7]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 200. +[^8]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 200. +[^9]: U.S. Senate, Committee on Foreign Relations, *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate*, S. Prt. 102-140, December 1992, pp. 299-300 and note 779, quoting Bob Woodward, *Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA, 1981-1987*, Simon and Schuster, 1987, p. 352. +[^10]: S. Prt. 102-140, p. 301 (Camp David finding): "The key role played by Adham in Camp David was apparently to encourage other Arab political figures not to repudiate Sadat for agreeing to peace with Israel." +[^11]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 14. +[^12]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 203. +[^13]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 203. +[^14]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 198. +[^15]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 197. +[^16]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 310. +[^17]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 6, "BCCI in the United States: Initial Entry." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/06early.htm +[^18]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 13, "Clark Clifford and Robert Altman." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/13clifford.htm +[^19]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 11, "BCCI, the CIA and Foreign Intelligence" (the CIA's reply to the Federal Reserve; the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act probe; text following notes 10 to 12). https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/11intel.htm +[^20]: S. Prt. 102-140, pp. 299-300 (CIA liaison; Federal Reserve testimony of April 23, 1981), with notes 778 and 783. +[^21]: S. Prt. 102-140, p. 301, note 789 (Clark Clifford sworn interrogatories). +[^22]: S. Prt. 102-140, p. 301 (Adham's account to U.S. investigators, as summarized by the report). +[^23]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 11, "BCCI, the CIA and Foreign Intelligence." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/11intel.htm +[^24]: "Clifford, Altman indicted in BCCI bank fraud," United Press International, July 29, 1992. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1992/07/29/Clifford-Altman-indicted-in-BCCI-bank-fraud/5122712382400/ diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Leopold Aschenbrenner.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Leopold Aschenbrenner.md index 53f45037..286a8962 100644 --- a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Leopold Aschenbrenner.md +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Leopold Aschenbrenner.md @@ -37,16 +37,16 @@ relations: with: "[[Situational Awareness LP]]" start: 2024-05 role: "managing partner and chief investment officer" - fn: 15 + fn: 17 - type: owned with: "[[Situational Awareness LP]]" role: "50 to 75 percent owner of the adviser, per Form ADV Schedule A" - fn: 15 + fn: 17 - type: partner_of with: "[[Carl Shulman]]" start: 2024-10 role: "business partner; co-portfolio manager and director of research, 25 to 50 percent owner of the adviser" - fn: 15 + fn: 17 - type: funded with: "[[Patrick Collison]]" reverse: true @@ -70,9 +70,9 @@ relations: - type: partner_of with: "[[Avital Balwit]]" role: "fiance, as reported by CNBC in July 2026" - fn: 10 + fn: 12 created: 2026-10-01 -updated: 2026-10-01 +updated: 2026-10-13 --- Leopold Aschenbrenner is the founder of [[Situational Awareness LP]], a [[San Francisco]] investment adviser to an AI-infrastructure hedge fund. His own site states that he "originally hail[s] from Germany," "did research on long-run economic growth at Oxford's Global Priorities Institute," worked "on the Superalignment team at OpenAI," and "recently founded an investment firm focused on AGI, with anchor investments from [[Patrick Collison]], [[John Collison]], [[Nat Friedman]], and [[Daniel Gross]]."[^1] The cover pages of the firm's ownership filings with the [[Securities and Exchange Commission]] give his citizenship as code 2M, the EDGAR code for Germany.[^2] @@ -91,33 +91,33 @@ In 2018, through the American affiliate of the Centre for Effective Altruism, [[ [[Erin Woo]] and [[Stephanie Palazzolo]] of [[The Information]] reported on 11 April 2024, citing "a person with knowledge of the situation," that [[OpenAI]] had fired two researchers for allegedly leaking information: Aschenbrenner, "a researcher on a team dedicated to keeping artificial intelligence safe for society," and [[Pavel Izmailov]]. They described Aschenbrenner as "an ally of OpenAI chief scientist [[Ilya Sutskever]], who participated in a failed effort to force out OpenAI CEO [[Sam Altman]] last fall," and wrote that "It's not clear what information the two fired staffers leaked."[^9] -In a podcast interview with Patel posted on 4 June 2024, Aschenbrenner said the leak was a "brainstorming document on preparedness, safety, and security measures" that he had shared "with three external researchers for feedback," after redacting a reference to "a future cluster." He said he had earlier written an internal memo on OpenAI's security, "which I thought was egregiously insufficient to protect against the theft of model weights or key algorithmic secrets from foreign actors," shared it with "a couple of board members" after "a major security incident," and received "an official HR warning for sharing the memo with the board." He said that when he was fired "it was very made explicit that the security memo was a major reason," that a lawyer had questioned him about "whether the government should be involved in AGI, whether I and the superalignment team were loyal to the company, and what I was up to during the OpenAI board events," that he had not signed the employee letter during those events, and that he was offered equity worth "close to a million dollars" on leaving but "didn't want to sign."[^5] [[David Faber]] of [[CNBC]] wrote in July 2026 that "OpenAI has said those concerns were unrelated to his departure."[^10] The essay series "Situational Awareness: The Decade Ahead," published under his name, is dated June 2024.[^11] +In a podcast interview with Patel posted on 4 June 2024, Aschenbrenner said the leak was a "brainstorming document on preparedness, safety, and security measures" that he had shared "with three external researchers for feedback," after redacting a reference to "a future cluster." He said he had earlier written an internal memo on OpenAI's security, "which I thought was egregiously insufficient to protect against the theft of model weights or key algorithmic secrets from foreign actors," shared it with "a couple of board members" after "a major security incident," and received "an official HR warning for sharing the memo with the board." He said that he had first shared the memo with a few colleagues and a couple of members of leadership, who "mostly said it was helpful," and that "days later, it was made very clear to me that leadership was very unhappy I had shared this memo with the board."[^5] He said that the human resources representative "told me it was racist to worry about CCP espionage and that it was unconstructive."[^5] A footnote on the transcript at the words "major security incident" reads: "The previous linked item here was not the major security incident Leopold was referring to."[^10] [[TechCrunch]] reported on July 5, 2024 that the New York Times had reported on a 2023 hack of an OpenAI employee forum "after former OpenAI employee Leopold Aschenbrenner hinted at it recently in a podcast."[^11] He said that the company's main claim "was this leaking allegation. That's what they told employees. The security memo was another thing," and that the company told him "the reason this is a firing and not a warning is because of the security memo."[^5] He said that when he was fired "it was very made explicit that the security memo was a major reason," that a lawyer had questioned him about "whether the government should be involved in AGI, whether I and the superalignment team were loyal to the company, and what I was up to during the OpenAI board events," that he had not signed the employee letter during those events, and that he was offered equity worth "close to a million dollars" on leaving but "didn't want to sign."[^5] [[David Faber]] of [[CNBC]] wrote in July 2026 that "OpenAI has said those concerns were unrelated to his departure."[^12] The essay series "Situational Awareness: The Decade Ahead," published under his name, is dated June 2024.[^13] ### The Funds -Situational Awareness Partners LP, a Delaware partnership, filed a notice of exempt offering (Form D) on 23 September 2024 as a hedge fund relying on Rule 506(b) and the section 3(c)(7) exclusion, with a minimum investment of 5,000,000 dollars and offices at 512 2nd Street, San Francisco. Its general partner is SAF AI GP LP, whose general partner is SAF AI GP LLC, managed by Aschenbrenner, who signed the form; [[Nicholas Gross-Whitaker]] is chief operating officer.[^12] Situational Awareness Offshore LP, a [[Cayman Islands]] partnership at the offices of Walkers Corporate Limited, filed on 12 December 2024 with a first sale on 1 December and 24,042,356 dollars sold to two investors.[^13] A third vehicle, "Situational Awareness LP Nov 2024 a Series of CGF2021 LLC," administered by [[Sydecar]] in Claymont, Delaware, reported 24,975,000 dollars sold to 32 investors under the section 3(c)(1) exclusion.[^14] +Situational Awareness Partners LP, a Delaware partnership, filed a notice of exempt offering (Form D) on 23 September 2024 as a hedge fund relying on Rule 506(b) and the section 3(c)(7) exclusion, with a minimum investment of 5,000,000 dollars and offices at 512 2nd Street, San Francisco. Its general partner is SAF AI GP LP, whose general partner is SAF AI GP LLC, managed by Aschenbrenner, who signed the form; [[Nicholas Gross-Whitaker]] is chief operating officer.[^14] Situational Awareness Offshore LP, a [[Cayman Islands]] partnership at the offices of Walkers Corporate Limited, filed on 12 December 2024 with a first sale on 1 December and 24,042,356 dollars sold to two investors.[^15] A third vehicle, "Situational Awareness LP Nov 2024 a Series of CGF2021 LLC," administered by [[Sydecar]] in Claymont, Delaware, reported 24,975,000 dollars sold to 32 investors under the section 3(c)(1) exclusion.[^16] -The adviser registered with the SEC effective 24 February 2025 (file 801-132039, CRD 333011), after withdrawing a California exempt-reporting registration on 25 January 2025.[^15] Its Form ADV of 11 June 2026 reports regulatory assets under management of 9,278,344,000 dollars, all discretionary, in two accounts, and eight employees, four of them in advisory roles. The single private fund it reports is Situational Awareness Partners LP, a master fund whose feeder is the offshore partnership, which is registered with the [[Cayman Islands Monetary Authority]]. It reports the fund's gross asset value as 9,278,344,000 dollars, its beneficial owners as about 81, the share owned by the adviser and its related persons as about 4 percent and the share owned by non-United States persons as 14 percent. The auditor is [[KPMG]] in Walnut Creek, the administrator is Stone Coast Fund Services, and the prime brokers are BofA Securities Prime, [[Citigroup]] Global Markets, [[Goldman Sachs]] and J.P. Morgan Securities, with [[Citizens Financial Group]] also listed as a custodian. Schedule A lists Aschenbrenner as chief investment officer from May 2024 with ownership of 50 to 75 percent, Shulman as director of research from October 2024 with 25 to 50 percent, and Gross-Whitaker as chief operating officer from August 2024 with 5 to 10 percent, followed by chief financial officer Patrick DeGraca (January 2026) and chief compliance officer Kimberly Summe (June 2026).[^15] +The adviser registered with the SEC effective 24 February 2025 (file 801-132039, CRD 333011), after withdrawing a California exempt-reporting registration on 25 January 2025.[^17] Its Form ADV of 11 June 2026 reports regulatory assets under management of 9,278,344,000 dollars, all discretionary, in two accounts, and eight employees, four of them in advisory roles. The single private fund it reports is Situational Awareness Partners LP, a master fund whose feeder is the offshore partnership, which is registered with the [[Cayman Islands Monetary Authority]]. It reports the fund's gross asset value as 9,278,344,000 dollars, its beneficial owners as about 81, the share owned by the adviser and its related persons as about 4 percent and the share owned by non-United States persons as 14 percent. The auditor is [[KPMG]] in Walnut Creek, the administrator is Stone Coast Fund Services, and the prime brokers are BofA Securities Prime, [[Citigroup]] Global Markets, [[Goldman Sachs]] and J.P. Morgan Securities, with [[Citizens Financial Group]] also listed as a custodian. Schedule A lists Aschenbrenner as chief investment officer from May 2024 with ownership of 50 to 75 percent, Shulman as director of research from October 2024 with 25 to 50 percent, and Gross-Whitaker as chief operating officer from August 2024 with 5 to 10 percent, followed by chief financial officer Patrick DeGraca (January 2026) and chief compliance officer Kimberly Summe (June 2026).[^17] -The amended Forms D record the cumulative amounts sold since the first sales. For the Delaware fund they were 997,910,000 dollars from 65 investors (signed 5 September 2025), 1,025,510,000 dollars from 66 investors (29 December 2025), 1,762,326,027 dollars from 93 investors (10 March 2026) and 4,346,004,027 dollars from 135 investors (11 September 2026). For the Cayman feeder they were 53,185,626 dollars from 10 investors (8 and 29 December 2025), 198,142,357 dollars from 15 investors (10 March 2026) and 5,184,671,655 dollars from 52 investors (11 September 2026).[^12][^13] Two further partnerships under the same general partner, SAF FSC2 LP and SAF PIC LP, filed on 12 May 2026 as venture capital funds, reporting 167,150,000 dollars from 25 investors and 50,100,000 dollars from nine, with first sales on 1 May 2026.[^16] +The amended Forms D record the cumulative amounts sold since the first sales. For the Delaware fund they were 997,910,000 dollars from 65 investors (signed 5 September 2025), 1,025,510,000 dollars from 66 investors (29 December 2025), 1,762,326,027 dollars from 93 investors (10 March 2026) and 4,346,004,027 dollars from 135 investors (11 September 2026). For the Cayman feeder they were 53,185,626 dollars from 10 investors (8 and 29 December 2025), 198,142,357 dollars from 15 investors (10 March 2026) and 5,184,671,655 dollars from 52 investors (11 September 2026).[^14][^15] Two further partnerships under the same general partner, SAF FSC2 LP and SAF PIC LP, filed on 12 May 2026 as venture capital funds, reporting 167,150,000 dollars from 25 investors and 50,100,000 dollars from nine, with first sales on 1 May 2026.[^18] ### Reported Positions -The adviser's quarterly holdings reports (Form 13F) list long equity positions and listed options, the latter valued at the underlying shares. The first, for 31 December 2024, listed six positions worth 254,813,765 dollars, led by [[Marvell Technology]] and followed by [[Vistra]], Vertiv, Talen Energy, [[Constellation Energy]] and Modine. For 31 March 2025 the twelve positions totaled 1,005,567,727 dollars, led by call options on 20,237,400 shares of [[Intel]] (459,591,354 dollars), and included [[CoreWeave]] and [[Core Scientific]]. For 30 June 2025 the nine positions totaled 2,123,023,762 dollars, led by put options on a VanEck semiconductor exchange-traded fund. For 30 September 2025 there were 28 positions worth 4,138,368,748 dollars, and for 31 December 2025, 29 worth 5,516,758,344 dollars, led by [[Bloom Energy]].[^17] +The adviser's quarterly holdings reports (Form 13F) list long equity positions and listed options, the latter valued at the underlying shares. The first, for 31 December 2024, listed six positions worth 254,813,765 dollars, led by [[Marvell Technology]] and followed by [[Vistra]], Vertiv, Talen Energy, [[Constellation Energy]] and Modine. For 31 March 2025 the twelve positions totaled 1,005,567,727 dollars, led by call options on 20,237,400 shares of [[Intel]] (459,591,354 dollars), and included [[CoreWeave]] and [[Core Scientific]]. For 30 June 2025 the nine positions totaled 2,123,023,762 dollars, led by put options on a VanEck semiconductor exchange-traded fund. For 30 September 2025 there were 28 positions worth 4,138,368,748 dollars, and for 31 December 2025, 29 worth 5,516,758,344 dollars, led by [[Bloom Energy]].[^19] -For 31 March 2026 the report listed 42 positions worth 13,676,657,577 dollars, of which the five largest were put options: on the VanEck semiconductor fund (2,042,716,860 dollars), [[Nvidia]] (1,568,257,120 dollars), [[Oracle Corporation|Oracle]] (1,072,873,230 dollars), [[Broadcom]] (1,006,247,961 dollars) and [[Advanced Micro Devices]] (969,160,863 dollars); there were also puts on Micron, [[Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company]] and ASML, and long positions in bitcoin-mining and data-center companies including IREN, Core Scientific, Riot Platforms, CleanSpark and Applied Digital. The same report was filed under the Delaware fund's own registration. The report for 30 June 2026, signed by Summe, listed 26 positions worth 20,242,292,228 dollars, almost all long: [[SanDisk]] (5,673,738,513 dollars), [[Micron Technology]] (5,573,819,392 dollars), Bloom Energy, Taiwan Semiconductor, [[Nebius Group]], CoreWeave and Core Scientific.[^17][^18] +For 31 March 2026 the report listed 42 positions worth 13,676,657,577 dollars, of which the five largest were put options: on the VanEck semiconductor fund (2,042,716,860 dollars), [[Nvidia]] (1,568,257,120 dollars), [[Oracle Corporation|Oracle]] (1,072,873,230 dollars), [[Broadcom]] (1,006,247,961 dollars) and [[Advanced Micro Devices]] (969,160,863 dollars); there were also puts on Micron, [[Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company]] and ASML, and long positions in bitcoin-mining and data-center companies including IREN, Core Scientific, Riot Platforms, CleanSpark and Applied Digital. The same report was filed under the Delaware fund's own registration. The report for 30 June 2026, signed by Summe, listed 26 positions worth 20,242,292,228 dollars, almost all long: [[SanDisk]] (5,673,738,513 dollars), [[Micron Technology]] (5,573,819,392 dollars), Bloom Energy, Taiwan Semiconductor, [[Nebius Group]], CoreWeave and Core Scientific.[^19][^20] ### Core Scientific, Nebius and SharonAI -A Schedule 13D filed on 19 August 2025 reported that the Delaware fund held 17,682,918 shares of Core Scientific (5.8 percent), bought for 213,190,431.12 dollars, "for investment purposes." The reporting persons were the adviser, SAF AI GP LP, Situational Awareness LLC, the fund, Aschenbrenner, "the managing partner and control person of Adviser and General Partner," and Shulman, "the co-portfolio manager of the Fund"; both men signed the joint filing agreement. The filing reserved the right to recommend "mergers, consolidations, sales or acquisitions of assets, changes in control." Counsel was Anthony J. Caldwell of [[Shartsis Friese]]. An amendment of 14 October 2025 reported 28,756,478 shares (9.4 percent), bought for 362,121,757.59 dollars.[^2] In the proxy statement for Core Scientific's proposed acquisition by CoreWeave, filed on 26 September 2025, the adviser appears among the holders of more than 5 percent, alongside the [[Vanguard Group]], [[BlackRock]], Two Seas Capital and G1 Execution Services.[^19] +A Schedule 13D filed on 19 August 2025 reported that the Delaware fund held 17,682,918 shares of Core Scientific (5.8 percent), bought for 213,190,431.12 dollars, "for investment purposes." The reporting persons were the adviser, SAF AI GP LP, Situational Awareness LLC, the fund, Aschenbrenner, "the managing partner and control person of Adviser and General Partner," and Shulman, "the co-portfolio manager of the Fund"; both men signed the joint filing agreement. The filing reserved the right to recommend "mergers, consolidations, sales or acquisitions of assets, changes in control." Counsel was Anthony J. Caldwell of [[Shartsis Friese]]. An amendment of 14 October 2025 reported 28,756,478 shares (9.4 percent), bought for 362,121,757.59 dollars.[^2] In the proxy statement for Core Scientific's proposed acquisition by CoreWeave, filed on 26 September 2025, the adviser appears among the holders of more than 5 percent, alongside the [[Vanguard Group]], [[BlackRock]], Two Seas Capital and G1 Execution Services.[^21] -The adviser reported 12,410,060 Class A shares of Nebius Group (5.6 percent) on a Schedule 13G for 19 May 2026.[^20] In June 2026 the fund bought shares of [[SharonAI Holdings]] under a securities purchase agreement with a prefunded warrant at 0.0001 dollars a share, capped at 19.99 percent until shareholders approved the issuance on 27 August 2026; the next day the reporting persons filed a Schedule 13D for 8,070,950 shares (21.1 percent), bought for 523,882,863.18 dollars, stating an investment purpose. The fund exercised the rest of the warrant on 15 September 2026.[^20] +The adviser reported 12,410,060 Class A shares of Nebius Group (5.6 percent) on a Schedule 13G for 19 May 2026.[^22] In June 2026 the fund bought shares of [[SharonAI Holdings]] under a securities purchase agreement with a prefunded warrant at 0.0001 dollars a share, capped at 19.99 percent until shareholders approved the issuance on 27 August 2026; the next day the reporting persons filed a Schedule 13D for 8,070,950 shares (21.1 percent), bought for 523,882,863.18 dollars, stating an investment purpose. The fund exercised the rest of the warrant on 15 September 2026.[^22] ### July and August 2026 -Faber reported on 30 July 2026, citing people familiar with the matter, that the fund "was forced to sell all of its public stock holdings" after losses on AI infrastructure investments "such as SK Hynix" and on "short positions in software companies such as Adobe," that it had grown to "as big as $45 billion at the start of July," and that "Ken Griffin's [[Citadel]] hedge fund reached a deal to buy the fund's publicly traded assets." He wrote that prime brokers including [[Bank of America]], Goldman Sachs and [[JPMorgan Chase]] had been "working with the fund as it seeks to meet margin requirements," that "The firm had been negotiating to sell its stake in [[Anthropic]]," and that a spokesman "said reports that it was marketing a stake it owns in Anthropic are not accurate." Citing a Fortune profile, he reported that Aschenbrenner was engaged to [[Avital Balwit]], chief of staff to Anthropic's chief executive, [[Dario Amodei]].[^10] +Faber reported on 30 July 2026, citing people familiar with the matter, that the fund "was forced to sell all of its public stock holdings" after losses on AI infrastructure investments "such as SK Hynix" and on "short positions in software companies such as Adobe," that it had grown to "as big as $45 billion at the start of July," and that "Ken Griffin's [[Citadel]] hedge fund reached a deal to buy the fund's publicly traded assets." He wrote that prime brokers including [[Bank of America]], Goldman Sachs and [[JPMorgan Chase]] had been "working with the fund as it seeks to meet margin requirements," that "The firm had been negotiating to sell its stake in [[Anthropic]]," and that a spokesman "said reports that it was marketing a stake it owns in Anthropic are not accurate." Citing a Fortune profile, he reported that Aschenbrenner was engaged to [[Avital Balwit]], chief of staff to Anthropic's chief executive, [[Dario Amodei]].[^12] -A second amendment to the Core Scientific Schedule 13D, filed on 4 August 2026 by Adriana Schwartz of [[Seward & Kissel]], reported 25,608,473 shares (8.1 percent) on 15 July and 14,089,395 shares (4.4 percent) on 4 August. Its schedule of transactions lists two sales on 3 August 2026 of 5,759,539 shares each, at 19.6896 and 19.4807 dollars, "sold through block trades with unaffiliated third parties."[^21] The SharonAI Schedule 13D followed on 28 August, and the amended Forms D, reporting the cumulative 4.35 billion and 5.18 billion dollars sold, were signed on 11 September 2026.[^12][^13][^20] +A second amendment to the Core Scientific Schedule 13D, filed on 4 August 2026 by Adriana Schwartz of [[Seward & Kissel]], reported 25,608,473 shares (8.1 percent) on 15 July and 14,089,395 shares (4.4 percent) on 4 August. Its schedule of transactions lists two sales on 3 August 2026 of 5,759,539 shares each, at 19.6896 and 19.4807 dollars, "sold through block trades with unaffiliated third parties."[^23] The SharonAI Schedule 13D followed on 28 August, and the amended Forms D, reporting the cumulative 4.35 billion and 5.18 billion dollars sold, were signed on 11 September 2026.[^14][^15][^22] ### Footnotes @@ -130,15 +130,17 @@ A second amendment to the Core Scientific Schedule 13D, filed on 4 August 2026 b [^7]: Beckstead, Nick, Leopold Aschenbrenner, Ketan Ramakrishnan and others. "The FTX Future Fund team has resigned." Effective Altruism Forum, 11 November 2022. https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/xafpj3on76uRDoBja/the-ftx-future-fund-team-has-resigned-1 [^8]: Open Philanthropy, "Centre for Effective Altruism, New Discretionary Fund," award date March 2018, grant investigator Holden Karnofsky, Wayback Machine capture of 5 January 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250105202534/https://www.openphilanthropy.org/grants/centre-for-effective-altruism-new-discretionary-fund/ [^9]: Woo, Erin, and Stephanie Palazzolo. "OpenAI Researchers, Including Ally of Sutskever, Fired for Alleged Leaking." The Information, 11 April 2024 (headline and byline; text as reproduced by CDO Times, 28 April 2024). https://www.theinformation.com/articles/openai-researchers-including-ally-of-sutskever-fired-for-alleged-leaking ; https://cdotimes.com/2024/04/28/openai-researchers-including-ally-of-sutskever-fired-for-alleged-leaking-the-information/ -[^10]: Faber, David. "Leopold Aschenbrenner's Situational Awareness sells entire book of public investments, sources say." CNBC, 30 July 2026. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/30/leopold-aschenbrenners-hedge-fund-is-facing-steep-ai-losses.html -[^11]: Aschenbrenner, Leopold. "Situational Awareness: The Decade Ahead," June 2024, site home page. https://situational-awareness.ai/ -[^12]: Securities and Exchange Commission, Situational Awareness Partners LP (CIK 0002038540): Form D, accession 0000935836-24-000602, filed 23 September 2024; Forms D/A, accessions 0000935836-25-000591 (signed 5 September 2025), 0000935836-25-000734 (29 December 2025), 0000935836-26-000153 (10 March 2026) and 0000935836-26-000486 (11 September 2026). https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0002038540 -[^13]: Securities and Exchange Commission, Situational Awareness Offshore LP (CIK 0002048430): Form D, accession 0000935836-24-000752, filed 12 December 2024; Forms D/A, accessions 0000935836-25-000718 (8 December 2025), 0000935836-25-000735 (29 December 2025), 0000935836-26-000154 (10 March 2026) and 0000935836-26-000484 (11 September 2026). https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0002048430 -[^14]: Securities and Exchange Commission, Form D, "Situational Awareness LP Nov 2024 a Series of CGF2021 LLC" (CIK 0002047424), accession 0002047424-24-000001, filed 5 December 2024. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2047424/000204742424000001/primary_doc.xml -[^15]: Securities and Exchange Commission, Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, "Situational Awareness LP," CRD 333011, firm summary, retrieved 1 October 2026; Form ADV, other-than-annual amendment filed 11 June 2026, Items 5 and 7.B and Schedules A and D, Section 7.B.(1). https://api.adviserinfo.sec.gov/search/firm/333011 ; https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/reports/ADV/333011/PDF/333011.pdf -[^16]: Securities and Exchange Commission, Forms D, SAF FSC2 LP (CIK 0002131438), accession 0000935836-26-000242, and SAF PIC LP (CIK 0002131439), accession 0000935836-26-000243, each filed 12 May 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2131438/000093583626000242/primary_doc.xml ; https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2131439/000093583626000243/primary_doc.xml -[^17]: Securities and Exchange Commission, Forms 13F-HR of Situational Awareness LP (CIK 0002045724), cover pages and information tables: accessions 0000935836-25-000120 (31 December 2024), 0002045724-25-000002 (31 March 2025), 0002045724-25-000006 (30 June 2025), 0002045724-25-000008 (30 September 2025), 0002045724-26-000002 (31 December 2025), 0002045724-26-000008 (31 March 2026) and 0000935836-26-000418 (30 June 2026). https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0002045724&type=13F-HR -[^18]: Securities and Exchange Commission, Form 13F-HR of Situational Awareness Partners LP (CIK 0002038540), accession 0002038540-26-000004, period 31 March 2026. https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0002038540&type=13F-HR -[^19]: Core Scientific, Inc., definitive merger proxy statement (Schedule 14A, DEFM14A), accession 0001140361-25-036346, filed 26 September 2025, "Beneficial Ownership of Core Scientific Common Stock," note 14. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1839341/000114036125036346/ny20053622x1_defm14a.htm -[^20]: Securities and Exchange Commission, filings by Situational Awareness LP: Schedule 13G, Nebius Group N.V., accession 0000935836-26-000303, filed 27 May 2026; Schedule 13G, SharonAI Holdings Inc. (CIK 0002068385), accession 0000935836-26-000334, filed 29 June 2026, and 13G/A, accession 0000935836-26-000416, filed 14 August 2026; Schedule 13D, accession 0000935836-26-000468, filed 28 August 2026, Items 3, 4 and 6; Schedule 13D/A, accession 0000935836-26-000500, filed 17 September 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2045724/000093583626000303/primary_doc.xml ; https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2068385/000093583626000468/primary_doc.xml ; https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2068385/000093583626000500/primary_doc.xml -[^21]: Securities and Exchange Commission, Schedule 13D/A (Amendment No. 2), Core Scientific, Inc., accession 0000919574-26-004796, filed 4 August 2026, cover pages, Item 5 and Exhibit 99.2 ("Transactions in the Past 60 Days"). https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1839341/000091957426004796/primary_doc.xml +[^10]: Same transcript, footnote 1 to "a major security incident occurred." https://www.dwarkesh.com/p/leopold-aschenbrenner +[^11]: Coldewey, Devin, "OpenAI breach is a reminder that AI companies are treasure troves for hackers," *TechCrunch,* July 5, 2024. https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/05/openai-breach-is-a-reminder-that-ai-companies-are-treasure-troves-for-hackers/ +[^12]: Faber, David. "Leopold Aschenbrenner's Situational Awareness sells entire book of public investments, sources say." CNBC, 30 July 2026. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/30/leopold-aschenbrenners-hedge-fund-is-facing-steep-ai-losses.html +[^13]: Aschenbrenner, Leopold. "Situational Awareness: The Decade Ahead," June 2024, site home page. https://situational-awareness.ai/ +[^14]: Securities and Exchange Commission, Situational Awareness Partners LP (CIK 0002038540): Form D, accession 0000935836-24-000602, filed 23 September 2024; Forms D/A, accessions 0000935836-25-000591 (signed 5 September 2025), 0000935836-25-000734 (29 December 2025), 0000935836-26-000153 (10 March 2026) and 0000935836-26-000486 (11 September 2026). https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0002038540 +[^15]: Securities and Exchange Commission, Situational Awareness Offshore LP (CIK 0002048430): Form D, accession 0000935836-24-000752, filed 12 December 2024; Forms D/A, accessions 0000935836-25-000718 (8 December 2025), 0000935836-25-000735 (29 December 2025), 0000935836-26-000154 (10 March 2026) and 0000935836-26-000484 (11 September 2026). https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0002048430 +[^16]: Securities and Exchange Commission, Form D, "Situational Awareness LP Nov 2024 a Series of CGF2021 LLC" (CIK 0002047424), accession 0002047424-24-000001, filed 5 December 2024. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2047424/000204742424000001/primary_doc.xml +[^17]: Securities and Exchange Commission, Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, "Situational Awareness LP," CRD 333011, firm summary, retrieved 1 October 2026; Form ADV, other-than-annual amendment filed 11 June 2026, Items 5 and 7.B and Schedules A and D, Section 7.B.(1). https://api.adviserinfo.sec.gov/search/firm/333011 ; https://reports.adviserinfo.sec.gov/reports/ADV/333011/PDF/333011.pdf +[^18]: Securities and Exchange Commission, Forms D, SAF FSC2 LP (CIK 0002131438), accession 0000935836-26-000242, and SAF PIC LP (CIK 0002131439), accession 0000935836-26-000243, each filed 12 May 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2131438/000093583626000242/primary_doc.xml ; https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2131439/000093583626000243/primary_doc.xml +[^19]: Securities and Exchange Commission, Forms 13F-HR of Situational Awareness LP (CIK 0002045724), cover pages and information tables: accessions 0000935836-25-000120 (31 December 2024), 0002045724-25-000002 (31 March 2025), 0002045724-25-000006 (30 June 2025), 0002045724-25-000008 (30 September 2025), 0002045724-26-000002 (31 December 2025), 0002045724-26-000008 (31 March 2026) and 0000935836-26-000418 (30 June 2026). https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0002045724&type=13F-HR +[^20]: Securities and Exchange Commission, Form 13F-HR of Situational Awareness Partners LP (CIK 0002038540), accession 0002038540-26-000004, period 31 March 2026. https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0002038540&type=13F-HR +[^21]: Core Scientific, Inc., definitive merger proxy statement (Schedule 14A, DEFM14A), accession 0001140361-25-036346, filed 26 September 2025, "Beneficial Ownership of Core Scientific Common Stock," note 14. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1839341/000114036125036346/ny20053622x1_defm14a.htm +[^22]: Securities and Exchange Commission, filings by Situational Awareness LP: Schedule 13G, Nebius Group N.V., accession 0000935836-26-000303, filed 27 May 2026; Schedule 13G, SharonAI Holdings Inc. (CIK 0002068385), accession 0000935836-26-000334, filed 29 June 2026, and 13G/A, accession 0000935836-26-000416, filed 14 August 2026; Schedule 13D, accession 0000935836-26-000468, filed 28 August 2026, Items 3, 4 and 6; Schedule 13D/A, accession 0000935836-26-000500, filed 17 September 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2045724/000093583626000303/primary_doc.xml ; https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2068385/000093583626000468/primary_doc.xml ; https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/2068385/000093583626000500/primary_doc.xml +[^23]: Securities and Exchange Commission, Schedule 13D/A (Amendment No. 2), Core Scientific, Inc., accession 0000919574-26-004796, filed 4 August 2026, cover pages, Item 5 and Exhibit 99.2 ("Transactions in the Past 60 Days"). https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1839341/000091957426004796/primary_doc.xml diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Sam Altman.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Sam Altman.md index 03a7fefb..6f33872d 100644 --- a/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Sam Altman.md +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Sam Altman.md @@ -12,7 +12,13 @@ summary: "Sam Altman is an American entrepreneur who led Y Combinator, cofounded born: 1985-04-22 location: "San Francisco, California" created: 2026-06-19 -updated: 2026-06-19 +updated: 2026-10-13 +relations: + - type: head_of + with: "[[OpenAI]]" + start: 2019 + role: "chief executive" + fn: 2 --- Sam Altman (born April 22, 1985) is an American entrepreneur and investor who cofounded and leads [[OpenAI]], the company at the center of the generative-AI era. A [[Stanford University]] dropout, he founded the location startup [[Loopt]] in the first [[Y Combinator]] batch in 2005, ran Y Combinator as president from 2014 to 2019, and cofounded OpenAI with [[Elon Musk]] in 2015. His career runs through the same [[Silicon Valley]] founder network as [[Peter Thiel]], who was a part-time partner at Y Combinator during Altman's presidency.[^1][^2] @@ -21,25 +27,34 @@ Sam Altman (born April 22, 1985) is an American entrepreneur and investor who co Altman became president of Y Combinator, the startup accelerator, in 2014 and expanded it into research and large-scale funding before leaving in 2019 to focus on OpenAI, where he became chief executive when the organization created its capped-profit structure and took a [[Microsoft]] investment. Under Altman, OpenAI released [[ChatGPT]] in 2022 and became the most prominent AI company in the world.[^2][^3] -Altman's first company, Loopt, raised about 30 million dollars and was acquired by the Green Dot Corporation in March 2012 for 43.4 million dollars after failing to gain traction. At Y Combinator he widened the accelerator's reach, launched the YC Research arm in 2015 (which seeded OpenAI), and pushed into late-stage funding. He took no salary as OpenAI chief executive and held no equity in the company, an arrangement he cited as evidence of disinterested motives during the 2023 board fight, though he holds stakes through OpenAI's startup fund and across a wide personal portfolio. In the 2025 restructuring that converted OpenAI's for-profit arm into a public-benefit corporation valued at 500 billion dollars, Altman remained chief executive without a founder's equity grant of the kind common at companies of that scale.[^2][^6] +Altman's first company, Loopt, raised about 30 million dollars and was acquired by the Green Dot Corporation in March 2012 for 43.4 million dollars after failing to gain traction. At Y Combinator he widened the accelerator's reach, launched the YC Research arm in 2015 (which seeded OpenAI), and pushed into late-stage funding. He took no salary as OpenAI chief executive and held no equity in the company, an arrangement he cited as evidence of disinterested motives during the 2023 board fight, though he holds stakes through OpenAI's startup fund and across a wide personal portfolio. In the 2025 restructuring that converted OpenAI's for-profit arm into a public-benefit corporation valued at 500 billion dollars, Altman remained chief executive without a founder's equity grant of the kind common at companies of that scale.[^2][^4] ### The 2023 Firing and Reinstatement -On November 17, 2023, OpenAI's nonprofit board removed Altman, saying he had not been "consistently candid"; the directors included [[Ilya Sutskever]], [[Helen Toner]], and [[Tasha McCauley]], the latter two tied to the [[Effective Altruism]] movement, and the dispute turned on the pace of AI commercialization. After roughly 700 employees threatened to resign and Microsoft offered to hire him, Altman was reinstated within days under a reconstituted board. The episode positioned Altman and the commercial wing against the effective-altruism and AI-safety faction that had grown out of the [[Rationalist Community]].[^3][^4] +On November 17, 2023, OpenAI's nonprofit board removed Altman, saying he had not been "consistently candid"; the directors included [[Ilya Sutskever]], [[Helen Toner]], and [[Tasha McCauley]], the latter two tied to the [[Effective Altruism]] movement, and the dispute turned on the pace of AI commercialization. After roughly 700 employees threatened to resign and Microsoft offered to hire him, Altman was reinstated within days under a reconstituted board. The episode positioned Altman and the commercial wing against the effective-altruism and AI-safety faction that had grown out of the [[Rationalist Community]].[^3][^5] -Microsoft chief executive [[Satya Nadella]] announced on November 20, 2023 that Altman and [[Greg Brockman]] would lead a new advanced-research lab inside Microsoft, a threat that gave Microsoft leverage and the staff a destination if the board held firm. The reconstituted board that returned Altman was chaired by [[Bret Taylor]] and added [[Larry Summers]], while Sutskever, McCauley, and Toner departed. In May 2024 Toner gave a public account alleging the board learned of ChatGPT's launch from Twitter rather than from Altman and that he had withheld his ownership of the OpenAI Startup Fund, claims Altman's allies disputed. A later law-firm review commissioned by the new board found the prior board's concerns did not warrant his removal.[^3][^4] +Microsoft chief executive [[Satya Nadella]] announced on November 20, 2023 that Altman and [[Greg Brockman]] would lead a new advanced-research lab inside Microsoft, a threat that gave Microsoft leverage and the staff a destination if the board held firm. The reconstituted board that returned Altman was chaired by [[Bret Taylor]] and added [[Larry Summers]], while Sutskever, McCauley, and Toner departed. In May 2024 Toner gave a public account alleging the board learned of ChatGPT's launch from Twitter rather than from Altman and that he had withheld his ownership of the OpenAI Startup Fund, claims Altman's allies disputed. A later law-firm review commissioned by the new board found the prior board's concerns did not warrant his removal.[^3][^5] ### Worldcoin and Other Ventures -In 2019 Altman cofounded Worldcoin (operated by [[Tools for Humanity]]), a project that scans people's irises with a device called the Orb to create a global proof-of-personhood identity tied to a cryptocurrency, which drew regulatory scrutiny in multiple countries over its biometric data collection. Altman has also funded longevity, nuclear-fusion, and biotechnology ventures, the same frontier-technology categories favored across the Thiel network.[^5] +In 2019 Altman cofounded Worldcoin (operated by [[Tools for Humanity]]), a project that scans people's irises with a device called the Orb to create a global proof-of-personhood identity tied to a cryptocurrency, which drew regulatory scrutiny in multiple countries over its biometric data collection. Altman has also funded longevity, nuclear-fusion, and biotechnology ventures, the same frontier-technology categories favored across the Thiel network.[^6] -Worldcoin raised about 115 million dollars from Blockchain Capital in 2023, with [[Andreessen Horowitz]]'s a16z Crypto and Bain Capital Crypto among earlier backers, and offered users 25 free WLD tokens for an iris scan. Regulators moved against it across multiple jurisdictions: Kenya suspended its operations in August 2023 over data-misuse fears and a court later ordered the deletion of Kenyans' biometric data, and Spain's data-protection authority used emergency [[General Data Protection Regulation|GDPR]] powers in March 2024 to suspend the project for up to three months. Among Altman's other ventures, he was chairman of and an early investor in the nuclear-fission firm Oklo, which he took public in 2024 through his SPAC AltC Acquisition Corp before stepping down as chair in 2025; he led a 500-million-dollar round in the fusion company Helion Energy in 2021; and he supplied the entire 180-million-dollar seed round of the longevity startup Retro Biosciences out of his own money, a stake revealed by MIT Technology Review in March 2023.[^5][^6] +Worldcoin raised about 115 million dollars from Blockchain Capital in 2023, with [[Andreessen Horowitz]]'s a16z Crypto and Bain Capital Crypto among earlier backers, and offered users 25 free WLD tokens for an iris scan. Regulators moved against it across multiple jurisdictions: Kenya suspended its operations in August 2023 over data-misuse fears and a court later ordered the deletion of Kenyans' biometric data, and Spain's data-protection authority used emergency [[General Data Protection Regulation|GDPR]] powers in March 2024 to suspend the project for up to three months. Among Altman's other ventures, he was chairman of and an early investor in the nuclear-fission firm Oklo, which he took public in 2024 through his SPAC AltC Acquisition Corp before stepping down as chair in 2025; he led a 500-million-dollar round in the fusion company Helion Energy in 2021; and he supplied the entire 180-million-dollar seed round of the longevity startup Retro Biosciences out of his own money, a stake revealed by MIT Technology Review in March 2023.[^4][^6] + +### Gulf Visits and Stargate UAE + +On May 13, 2025 Altman attended the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in [[Riyadh]] during the visit of President [[Donald Trump]] to [[Saudi Arabia]]. Photo coverage of the forum lists "OpenAI CEO Sam Altman" among the executives present, and a Reuters photograph carries the caption "OpenAI CEO Sam Altman looks on as he visits Riyadh with U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk (both not pictured), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025."[^7] + +On May 22, 2025 OpenAI announced [[Stargate (AI infrastructure)]] UAE in [[Abu Dhabi]], which the company described as "the first international deployment of Stargate, OpenAI's AI infrastructure platform," with partners [[G42]], [[Oracle]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Cisco]] and [[SoftBank]].[^8][^9] ### Footnotes [^1]: "Altman and Musk launched OpenAI as a nonprofit 10 years ago. Now they're rivals," *CNBC,* December 11, 2025. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/11/openai-began-decade-ago-as-nonprofit-lab-musk-and-altman-now-rivals.html [^2]: "The messy, secretive reality behind OpenAI's bid to save the world," *MIT Technology Review,* February 17, 2020. https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/02/17/844721/ai-openai-moonshot-elon-musk-sam-altman-greg-brockman-messy-secretive-reality/ [^3]: "Effective Altruism's Role in the OpenAI Chaos, Explained," *Bloomberg,* November 22, 2023. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-22/effective-altruism-s-role-in-the-openai-chaos-explained -[^4]: "What the chaos at OpenAI says about the future of the industry," *Columbia Journalism Review,* 2023. https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/openai_sam_altman_ouster.php -[^5]: "Worldcoin and Tools for Humanity," on the iris-scanning identity project and its regulatory scrutiny; contemporaneous press coverage, 2023 onward; "Kenya suspends Worldcoin scans over security, privacy and financial concerns," *TechCrunch,* August 2, 2023, and "Worldcoin hit with temporary ban in Spain over privacy concerns," *TechCrunch,* March 6, 2024. -[^6]: "Sam Altman invested $180 million into a company trying to delay death," *MIT Technology Review,* March 8, 2023; "Sam Altman takes nuclear startup Oklo public to power AI ambitions," *CNBC,* May 10, 2024. https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/03/08/1069523/sam-altman-investment-180-million-retro-biosciences-longevity-death/ +[^4]: "Sam Altman invested $180 million into a company trying to delay death," *MIT Technology Review,* March 8, 2023; "Sam Altman takes nuclear startup Oklo public to power AI ambitions," *CNBC,* May 10, 2024. https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/03/08/1069523/sam-altman-investment-180-million-retro-biosciences-longevity-death/ +[^5]: "What the chaos at OpenAI says about the future of the industry," *Columbia Journalism Review,* 2023. https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/openai_sam_altman_ouster.php +[^6]: "Worldcoin and Tools for Humanity," on the iris-scanning identity project and its regulatory scrutiny; contemporaneous press coverage, 2023 onward; "Kenya suspends Worldcoin scans over security, privacy and financial concerns," *TechCrunch,* August 2, 2023, and "Worldcoin hit with temporary ban in Spain over privacy concerns," *TechCrunch,* March 6, 2024. +[^7]: "Photos: Tech CEOs mingle with Trump and Saudi crown prince at investment forum in Riyadh," *NBC* (NBC San Diego), May 13, 2025: "as well as other high-profile executives and power players such as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman"; Reuters photograph caption, credited to Brian Snyder: "OpenAI CEO Sam Altman looks on as he visits Riyadh with U.S. President Donald Trump." https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/business/money-report/photos-tech-ceos-mingle-with-trump-and-saudi-crown-prince-at-investment-forum-in-riyadh/3824637 +[^8]: OpenAI, "Introducing Stargate UAE," May 22, 2025 (Wayback capture: https://web.archive.org/web/20250522id_/https://openai.com/index/introducing-stargate-uae/): "the first international deployment of Stargate, OpenAI's AI infrastructure platform." https://openai.com/index/introducing-stargate-uae/ +[^9]: "New update on Stargate UAE: First phase of 200MW to complete by 2026," *Gulf News*, October 16, 2025: "Announced in May 2025, the project brings together G42, OpenAI, Oracle, NVIDIA, Cisco, and SoftBank." https://gulfnews.com/business/markets/stargate-uae-first-phase-of-200mw-to-complete-by-2026-1.500310364 diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/A. R. (Abdul Raouf) Khalil.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/A. R. (Abdul Raouf) Khalil.md index 26506dcc..380596fa 100644 --- a/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/A. R. (Abdul Raouf) Khalil.md +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/A. R. (Abdul Raouf) Khalil.md @@ -9,35 +9,44 @@ relations: - type: owned with: "[[Credit and Commerce American Holdings]]" role: "nominee shareholder for BCCI" - fn: 6 + fn: 9 - type: director_of with: "[[Capcom]]" - fn: 5 + fn: 8 - type: employed_by - with: "[[Saudi Arabian intelligence]]" + with: "[[General Intelligence Presidency]]" role: "liaison to the United States" - fn: 5 + fn: 8 + - type: head_of + with: "[[General Intelligence Presidency]]" + role: "described in the Senate BCCI report as one of two successive heads of Saudi intelligence with Kamal Adham" + fn: 2 --- -A. R. (Abdul Raouf) Khalil is a high-level officer in [[Saudi Arabian intelligence]] and a key [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International|BCCI]] front man.[^1] He was a prominent figure in [[Agha Hasan Abedi]]'s network of wealthy Middle Eastern individuals who were shareholders in BCCI and its associated entities. +A. R. (Abdul Raouf) Khalil is a high-level officer in the [[General Intelligence Presidency]] and a key [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International|BCCI]] front man.[^1] He was a prominent figure in [[Agha Hasan Abedi]]'s network of wealthy Middle Eastern individuals who were shareholders in BCCI and its associated entities. + +The Senate Foreign Relations Committee report on BCCI wrote that [[Kamal Adham]] and A.R. Khalil were "two successive heads of Saudi intelligence" and nominees for the bank, and described Adham and Khalil as "the past and then-current Saudi intelligence liaisons to the United States" when [[Financial General Bankshares]] was acquired.[^2][^3] Arab News wrote in 2001 that [[Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz Al Saud]] was the third director of the agency since its establishment in the mid-1960s, after Adham and [[Turki al-Faisal]].[^4] ### Role in BCCI Operations -Khalil was one of the nominees used by Abedi to secretly purchase shares in [[Credit and Commerce American Holdings|CCAH]], the holding company that owned [[First American Bank]].[^2] He was also a recipient of large, fictitious loans from BCCI, such as $168 million, which were used to create the illusion of capital within the bank.[^3] +Khalil was one of the nominees used by Abedi to secretly purchase shares in [[Credit and Commerce American Holdings|CCAH]], the holding company that owned [[First American Bank]].[^5] He was also a recipient of large, fictitious loans from BCCI, such as $168 million, which were used to create the illusion of capital within the bank.[^6] -His involvement in BCCI's operations highlights the bank's strategy of using influential figures to conceal its true ownership and illicit financial activities. Khalil, along with [[Kamal Adham]] and [[Ghaith R. Pharaon]], held significant shares in BCCI and its subsidiaries, often acquired through these fraudulent loans.[^4] +His involvement in BCCI's operations highlights the bank's strategy of using influential figures to conceal its true ownership and illicit financial activities. Khalil, along with Kamal Adham and [[Ghaith R. Pharaon]], held significant shares in BCCI and its subsidiaries, often acquired through these fraudulent loans.[^7] ### The Federal Reserve and the CIA -The [[BCCI Kerry-Brown Senate Report|Kerry-Brown Senate Report]] described Khalil as, like Kamal Adham, "a BCCI shareholder and front man from its creation, and a key nominee in BCCI's secret takeover of First American." He appeared before the [[Federal Reserve Board|Federal Reserve]] on April 23, 1981, and presented himself as a private businessman: "My career has been devoted to business and I presently hold interests in real estate, mechanical and electrical maintenance projects, and commodities. In addition, I have been involved in some business ventures with American and British manufacturers for the installation of electronic and computer equipment in Saudi Arabia." The report found that he did not tell the Federal Reserve that he was then a key figure in Saudi intelligence and its liaison to the [[United States]], or disclose that one of his businesses was the Saudi Security and Technical Services Company, which supplied electronic and computer equipment to the Saudi government and its intelligence operations.[^5] The [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] told the Federal Reserve it had no derogatory information on the shareholders, among them Adham and Khalil, "the past and then-current Saudi intelligence liaisons to the United States."[^5] The Federal Reserve found in 1991 that Khalil, Adham, [[Faisal Saud al-Fulaij]] and the other Middle Eastern nominees "had secretly done precisely what the Federal Reserve had sought to assure they would not do."[^6] +The [[BCCI Kerry-Brown Senate Report|Kerry-Brown Senate Report]] described Khalil as, like Kamal Adham, "a BCCI shareholder and front man from its creation, and a key nominee in BCCI's secret takeover of First American." He appeared before the [[Federal Reserve Board|Federal Reserve]] on April 23, 1981, and presented himself as a private businessman: "My career has been devoted to business and I presently hold interests in real estate, mechanical and electrical maintenance projects, and commodities. In addition, I have been involved in some business ventures with American and British manufacturers for the installation of electronic and computer equipment in Saudi Arabia." The report found that he did not tell the Federal Reserve that he was then a key figure in Saudi intelligence and its liaison to the [[United States]], or disclose that one of his businesses was the Saudi Security and Technical Services Company, which supplied electronic and computer equipment to the Saudi government and its intelligence operations.[^8] The [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] told the Federal Reserve it had no derogatory information on the shareholders, among them Adham and Khalil, "the past and then-current Saudi intelligence liaisons to the United States."[^8] The Federal Reserve found in 1991 that Khalil, Adham, [[Faisal Saud al-Fulaij]] and the other Middle Eastern nominees "had secretly done precisely what the Federal Reserve had sought to assure they would not do."[^9] -According to [[Price Waterhouse]] audit reports, Khalil had no written contact with BCCI from 1985; by the late 1980s senior BCCI officials knew of no way to reach him, and the chief financial officer, [[Masihur Rahman]], doubted he existed. BCCI nevertheless used his name extensively as a nominee in [[Latin America]], the Caribbean and Europe, and he was a principal shareholder and director of BCCI's commodities affiliate, [[Capcom]]. When American regulators asked the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] in 1991 to locate him for service of legal papers, they were told he could not be found; after some months they determined that he was frequently to be found in the offices of the CIA station chief in [[Saudi Arabia]], and on their suggesting this, service was quickly arranged.[^5] +According to [[Price Waterhouse]] audit reports, Khalil had no written contact with BCCI from 1985; by the late 1980s senior BCCI officials knew of no way to reach him, and the chief financial officer, [[Masihur Rahman]], doubted he existed. BCCI nevertheless used his name extensively as a nominee in [[Latin America]], the Caribbean and Europe, and he was a principal shareholder and director of BCCI's commodities affiliate, [[Capcom]]. When American regulators asked the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] in 1991 to locate him for service of legal papers, they were told he could not be found; after some months they determined that he was frequently to be found in the offices of the CIA station chief in [[Saudi Arabia]], and on their suggesting this, service was quickly arranged.[^8] ### Footnotes [^1]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 10. -[^2]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 193. -[^3]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 142. -[^4]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 140. -[^5]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 11, "BCCI, the CIA and Foreign Intelligence." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/11intel.htm -[^6]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 6, "BCCI in the United States: Initial Entry." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/06early.htm +[^2]: U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, The BCCI Affair (1992), "Abu Dhabi: BCCI's Founding and Majority Shareholders." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm +[^3]: U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, The BCCI Affair (1992), "BCCI, the CIA and Foreign Intelligence." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/11intel.htm +[^4]: "Prince Nawaf new intelligence chief," Arab News, September 1, 2001. https://www.arabnews.com/node/214954 +[^5]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 193. +[^6]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 142. +[^7]: Beaty, Jonathan and Gwynne, S. C. *The Outlaw Bank: A Wild Ride into the Secret Heart of BCCI*. New York: Random House, 1993, p. 140. +[^8]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 11, "BCCI, the CIA and Foreign Intelligence." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/11intel.htm +[^9]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992, ch. 6, "BCCI in the United States: Initial Entry." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/06early.htm diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Alexandre de Marenches.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Alexandre de Marenches.md index 569ef620..cb40fceb 100644 --- a/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Alexandre de Marenches.md +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Alexandre de Marenches.md @@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ aliases: - Alexandre de Marenches - Count de Marenches created: 2026-05-17 -updated: 2026-05-17 +updated: 2026-10-13 category: "Intelligence & Government" tags: - Person @@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ At the time of his appointment, SDECE had been weakened by scandals including th ### The Safari Club -In 1976, following the [[Church Committee]] hearings and the resulting legislative constraints on [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] operations, de Marenches organized an informal intelligence-sharing and operations network that became known as the Safari Club. The arrangement brought together five services: SDECE (France), Saudi Arabia's General Intelligence Directorate under Kamal Adham, Egypt's Mukhabarat, Morocco's DST under Ahmed Dlimi, and the CIA under Director [[George H.W. Bush]]. The Safari Club's purpose was to continue covert anti-Soviet operations in Africa and the [[Middle East]] that CIA was temporarily unable to conduct openly under congressional scrutiny.[^2] +In 1976, following the [[Church Committee]] hearings and the resulting legislative constraints on CIA operations, de Marenches organized an informal intelligence-sharing and operations network that became known as the Safari Club. The arrangement brought together five services: SDECE (France), Saudi Arabia's [[General Intelligence Presidency|General Intelligence Directorate]] under [[Kamal Adham]], Egypt's Mukhabarat, Morocco's DST under Ahmed Dlimi, and the CIA under Director [[George H.W. Bush]]. The Safari Club's purpose was to continue covert anti-Soviet operations in Africa and the [[Middle East]] that CIA was temporarily unable to conduct openly under congressional scrutiny.[^2] The most documented Safari Club operation was in Angola, where the Club provided $5 million in financing and logistical support to Jonas Savimbi's UNITA movement against the Soviet- and Cuban-backed MPLA government. De Marenches later described Angola as "a theater for revolutionary wars prompted and conducted by the Soviet Union." The Club also coordinated operations in Somalia and the Horn of Africa during the Ogaden War period (1977-1978). The arrangement effectively transferred operational initiative to allied services who were not subject to the same congressional oversight as CIA, with CIA providing intelligence and coordination.[^2] diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Ben Horowitz.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Ben Horowitz.md index a8fe0ba9..96a766be 100644 --- a/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Ben Horowitz.md +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Ben Horowitz.md @@ -138,8 +138,13 @@ relations: with: "[[Felicia Horowitz]]" role: "husband" fn: 11 + - type: funded + with: "[[Echelon (company)]]" + start: 2026-10 + role: "named early backer of an undisclosed round, per Dealroom and Wamda, October 2026; no amount disclosed" + fn: 28 created: 2026-10-01 -updated: 2026-10-01 +updated: 2026-10-13 --- Ben Horowitz (Benjamin A. Horowitz) is a cofounder and general partner of the venture capital firm [[Andreessen Horowitz]] (a16z), which he and [[Marc Andreessen]] started in 2009.[^1] He worked in product marketing at [[Lotus Development Corporation]] before joining [[Netscape]] in July 1995, where he ran product divisions including the Directory and Security line; was vice president and general manager of the E-Commerce Platform division of [[America Online]] in 1999; and from September 1999 was cofounder, president and chief executive of Loudcloud, which became [[Opsware]] and was acquired by [[Hewlett-Packard]] in 2007. He holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from [[Columbia University]] and a master's from the [[University of California, Los Angeles]].[^2][^3] His a16z biography lists board seats at [[Anyscale]], [[Databricks]], [[Mayvenn]], [[NationBuilder]], [[Navan]] and [[UnitedMasters]], and credits him with creating the a16z Cultural Leadership Fund.[^2] @@ -202,6 +207,14 @@ Outside firms registered for the firm are [[Mehlman Consulting]] (registered May Horowitz is the son of the writer and activist [[David Horowitz]], founder of the [[David Horowitz Freedom Center]], who died on April 29, 2025 at the age of 86. Misty Severi of Just the News and Heather Hunter of the [[Washington Examiner]] reported that David Horowitz was survived by his sons Ben and Jonathan and a daughter, that Ben Horowitz posted "Rest in Peace to my father," and that the family's obituary recounted that when Ben told Trump about his father the previous year, "President Trump's face immediately lit up and he insisted that Benjamin get David on the phone immediately."[^25][^26] Horowitz lives in Las Vegas with his wife, Felicia Horowitz, a trustee of the family foundation.[^11][^13] +### Saudi Arabia and the Gulf + +In October 2022 Horowitz spoke at "Davos in the Desert," an investment conference in Saudi Arabia. TechCrunch, reporting in April 2023, wrote that such an appearance is "often a clue that someone is fundraising."[^27] + +In 2023 Horowitz and Marc Andreessen appeared onstage with [[Adam Neumann]] at a conference organized by a nonprofit backed by one of Saudi Arabia's largest sovereign funds. The panel discussed the firm's 350 million dollar investment in Flow, Neumann's residential real estate company, which Bloomberg reported might launch in the Kingdom. TechCrunch quoted Horowitz as praising Saudi Arabia as a "startup country" and saying: "Saudi has a founder; you don't call him a founder, you call him his royal highness." Neumann said separately, "It's leaders like his royal highness that are actually going to lead us where we want to go." TechCrunch wrote that it had contacted Andreessen Horowitz and had not received a reply.[^27] + +In October 2026 the Riyadh-based company [[Echelon (company)]] announced an undisclosed funding round. Dealroom named its early backers as [[East40 Holding|East40]], [[RAED Ventures]], [[Avra]] and "Ben Horowitz," and described the founder, [[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]], as a venture partner at RAED Ventures and an adviser to Andreessen Horowitz.[^28] [[Wamda]], reporting on October 7, 2026, wrote that Echelon raised an undisclosed round "from East40, RAED Ventures and Avra, alongside Ben Horowitz and other investors."[^29] + ### Footnotes [^1]: Andreessen Horowitz. "Who We Are." a16z.com/about, accessed October 1, 2026. https://a16z.com/about/ @@ -230,3 +243,6 @@ Horowitz is the son of the writer and activist [[David Horowitz]], founder of th [^24]: Lobbying Disclosure Act filings for client Scale AI: The VM Group registration posted August 28, 2026, https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/4087f730-33fc-451b-952d-6e39e960ccd9/print/ ; Mehlman Consulting registration posted August 19, 2025, https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/abdd7fa4-d0dd-46f6-a946-a16482f72509/print/ ; Cornerstone Government Affairs registration posted October 11, 2023, https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/4bed6edb-c81c-41ff-aecb-e50754221888/print/ [^25]: Severi, Misty. "Conservative author and activist David Horowitz dies at 86." Just the News, April 29, 2025. https://justthenews.com/nation/culture/conservative-author-david-horowitz-dies-86 [^26]: Hunter, Heather. "Conservatives pay tribute following death of David Horowitz." Washington Examiner, April 30, 2025. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/3397321/conservatives-pay-tribute-death-david-horowitz/ +[^27]: Loizos, Connie, "Andreessen Horowitz is now openly courting capital from Saudi Arabia, despite U.S. strains," *TechCrunch*, April 1, 2023. The article reports that "back in October, Horowitz spoke at an investment conference dubbed 'Davos in the Desert,' which is often a clue that someone is fundraising," and, on the Flow investment, the "startup country" and "royal highness" remarks, and that "We reached out to Andreessen Horowitz with related questions this morning and have yet to hear back." https://techcrunch.com/2023/04/01/andreessen-horowitz-is-now-openly-courting-capital-from-saudi-arabia-despite-u-s-strains/ +[^28]: Dealroom, news item on the launch of Echelon, October 8, 2026 (published 15:30 UTC): "Its early backers include East40, RAED Ventures, Avra and Ben Horowitz." https://dealroom.co/news/160932-saudi-ai-company-echelon-launches-with-backing-from-ben-horowitz-avra-an/ +[^29]: "Saudi AI startup Echelon secures backing from East40, RAED Ventures and Avra," *Wamda*, October 7, 2026: "Saudi AI startup Echelon has raised an undisclosed investment round from East40, RAED Ventures and Avra, alongside Ben Horowitz and other investors." https://www.wamda.com/ar/2026/10/saudi-ai-startup-echelon-secures-backing-east40-raed-ventures-avra diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Khalid bin Bader Al Saud.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Khalid bin Bader Al Saud.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..a1fca099 --- /dev/null +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Khalid bin Bader Al Saud.md @@ -0,0 +1,173 @@ +--- +aliases: + - Khalid bin Bader Al Saud + - Khalid Bin Bader Bin Saud Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz AL SAUD + - Khalid Bin Badr Bin Saud M. Bin Abdulaziz AL SAUD + - Khalid bin Badr Al Saud + - Khaled bin Badr Al Saud + - Prince Khalid bin Bader + - خالد بن بدر آل سعود +category: "Business & Finance" +tags: + - Person + - SaudiRoyals + - Echelon + - EastForty + - RaedVentures + - ArtificialIntelligence + - VentureCapital + - CompaniesHouse + - KekoCompanies +summary: "Saudi prince, director of three dissolved UK Keko companies, founder and managing director of the Riyadh AI company Echelon, founder of the family firm East40 and venture partner at RAED Ventures." +born: 1994-09 +location: "Riyadh, Saudi Arabia" +created: 2026-10-13 +updated: 2026-10-13 +relations: + - type: founded + with: "[[Echelon (company)]]" + role: "founder and managing director" + start: 2025 + fn: 3 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Echelon (company)]]" + role: "executive chairman of Echelon Digital in the Rubrik release; chairman of Echelon Digital in the Elutions release" + start: 2025-11 + fn: 9 + - type: founded + with: "[[East40 Holding]]" + role: "founder, with family members" + fn: 4 + - type: partner_of + with: "[[RAED Ventures]]" + role: "venture partner, listed on the firm's team page" + start: 2025-02-06 + fn: 5 + - type: relative_of + with: "[[Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]]" + role: "father" + start: 1994-09 + fn: 1 + - type: relative_of + with: "[[Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]]" + role: "uncle" + fn: 27 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Keko Group Ltd]]" + role: "director of record; company dissolved November 4, 2025" + start: 2022-06-17 + end: 2025-11-04 + fn: 1 + - type: owned + with: "[[Keko Group Ltd]]" + role: "75 percent or more of shares (person with significant control)" + start: 2022-06-17 + end: 2025-11-04 + fn: 13 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Keko Hospitality Ltd]]" + role: "director of record; company dissolved June 17, 2025" + start: 2021-11-08 + end: 2025-06-17 + fn: 6 + - type: owned + with: "[[Keko Hospitality Ltd]]" + role: "75 percent or more of shares and voting rights and the right to appoint or remove directors, recorded from January 12, 2024; previously held through Keko Group Ltd" + start: 2024-01-12 + end: 2025-06-17 + fn: 15 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Keko LC Ltd]]" + role: "director of record under the spelling Badr; company dissolved October 1, 2024" + start: 2023-07-05 + end: 2024-10-01 + fn: 7 +--- + +Khalid bin Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is a Saudi prince, born in September 1994, the son of [[Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]],[^1] and the founder and managing director of [[Echelon (company)]], a [[Riyadh]]-based artificial intelligence company, the founder of the family investment firm [[East40 Holding|East40]] and a venture partner at [[RAED Ventures]].[^2][^3][^4][^5] + +### Names in the register + +[[Companies House]], the UK register, records him as Khalid Bin Bader Bin Saud Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz AL SAUD, born September 1994, with Saudi Arabian nationality.[^1] A second officer record carries the same name and birth month and year, and a third, under the spelling Badr with a middle initial, shows the same birth month and year.[^6][^7] Arabic-language press uses the spelling بدر (Badr) for the same name.[^8] A 2025 release names him Prince Khaled bin Badr Al Saud.[^9] + +### The Keko companies + +Keko Hospitality Ltd was incorporated on November 8, 2021, and its registered activity is licensed restaurants.[^10] The register records his appointment as a director of KEKO HOSPITALITY LTD on the day of incorporation, with [[Saudi Arabia]] given as his place of residence at that entry.[^6] The company was struck off by compulsory strike-off, with the final Gazette notice on June 17, 2025.[^10][^11] + +Keko Group Ltd was incorporated on June 17, 2022, as a holding company.[^12] Khalid was appointed a director the same day, with [[England]] given as his place of residence.[^1] The register lists him as the sole person with significant control, holding 75 percent or more of the shares, notified June 17, 2022.[^13] The company applied for voluntary strike-off on August 6, 2025 and was dissolved on November 4, 2025.[^12][^14] + +Keko Group Ltd was recorded as a person with significant control of KEKO HOSPITALITY LTD from July 13, 2022, holding 75 percent or more of the shares and voting rights. On January 12, 2024 the register recorded Keko Group Ltd as ceasing in that role and recorded Khalid in it, with 75 percent or more of the shares and voting rights and the right to appoint or remove directors.[^15] Resolutions adopting new articles of association and authorising a share transfer are dated January 26 to 31, 2024.[^11] + +A third company, KEKO LC LTD, lists him as a director from July 5, 2023, under the Badr spelling.[^7] Keko Group Ltd became its person with significant control on March 1, 2024, when Arrow UK Ventures Ltd ceased in that role, and a co-director, Neha Beriwala, resigned the same day. The company applied for voluntary strike-off on July 3, 2024 and was dissolved on October 1, 2024.[^16] + +### Echelon + +An Arabic-language release on [[Zawya]] dated October 1, 2026 gives him the title "مؤسس Echelon ومديرها التنفيذي" (founder and managing director of Echelon) and quotes the "الأمير خالد بن بدر آل سعود." It is the Arabic version of an English release distributed on September 30, 2026 by [[IFS]], which titles him Founder and Managing Director and quotes him: "Ever since we founded Echelon, our aim was to bring the most exciting AI solutions to Saudi Arabia."[^2][^8][^17] [[Wamda]], a regional startup outlet, dates the founding to 2025.[^18] + +On the company website he is the only person named, as Founder and Managing Director, beside the line "Saudi Arabia should be among the nations that define AI, not the nations that consume it."[^3] A founder's letter dated Riyadh, October 2026 and published on the site and on LinkedIn has him write that he spent "most of my life between Riyadh, London and the US" and came home "a few years ago," and that "alongside a few members of my family, I founded East40 to make long-term, high-conviction bets on the sectors that will shape our country's future. AI was one of them, and we wanted to found and operate an AI business from the ground up." The letter credits the Crown Prince's leadership and names H.E. [[Abdullah Alswaha]] and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology as having "made adoption a national priority." It describes the company as "founded here in Riyadh and backed early by East40, Raed Ventures and Avra, alongside Ben Horowitz and others."[^4] + +The letter says the Technologies unit brings AI companies "into the enterprises and government customers that need them" and is "focused on Energy, Industrials, Government, Telco, Defence, Aviation, Financial Services & Insurance and Healthcare." It lists Echelon Defense Industries, launching in the first quarter of 2027, as built "for the scale of the defense opportunity ahead," with the purpose "to help the Kingdom build sovereign defence capability."[^4] The partner section of the site describes the [[Applied Intuition]] partnership as covering "physical AI in the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining, and agriculture industries," the IFS partnership as "across defense, energy, industrial and telecommunications," and Rubrik as "data security and resilience for enterprise and government."[^3] [[Scott Stedman]] wrote on X on October 13, 2026 that Khalid founded Echelon, an AI company serving Saudi government and defense customers.[^19] + +### Echelon Digital + +Releases from November and December 2025 name him in an earlier form of the company. On November 3, 2025 a release from [[Echelon Digital Group]], "the Saudi technology holding company," announced a partnership with [[Elutions]] to deploy its Maestro AI platform in industrial and energy enterprises, naming "His Highness Prince Khaled bin Badr Al Saud, Chairman of Echelon Digital" and [[Omar Saleh]] as chief executive of Echelon Digital Group.[^9] On December 2, 2025 [[Rubrik]] announced its entry into Saudi Arabia through a partnership with Echelon Digital Group, quoting "H.H. Prince Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud, Executive Chairman of Echelon Digital," and planning data protection and cyber recovery for "enterprises in energy, financial services, and government sectors." The Echelon website lists that release among its own news items under the heading "Rubrik enters Saudi Arabia through a strategic partnership with Echelon."[^3][^20] The site's terms of use name the operator as Echelon Digital Solutions Company, a Saudi company, and the owner of the site content as Echelon Digital Holding Group Ltd, registered in the Dubai International Financial Centre.[^3] + +The UK register lists ECHELON DIGITAL GROUP LTD, incorporated June 6, 2025 and active, with a director born December 1997 and recorded as British.[^21] + +### Investors + +Wamda reported on October 7, 2026 that Echelon had raised an undisclosed round from East40, RAED Ventures and [[Avra]], "alongside Ben Horowitz and other investors." [[Dealroom]] published an item on October 8, 2026 titled "Saudi AI company Echelon launches with backing from Ben Horowitz, Avra and others," which gives no amount or valuation. Both reports say the company had spent about ten months in development.[^18][^22] Dealroom describes Khalid as founder of East40, co-founder of ClearGrid and an adviser to [[Andreessen Horowitz]].[^22] + +[[Ben Horowitz]] is a co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz. Andreessen Horowitz led the 2021 seed round and the July 2022 Series A of Nash, the delivery-logistics company where [[Abdulrahman Alfozan]], now a venture partner at RAED Ventures with Khalid, worked as a founding engineer from 2022.[^5][^23][^24] + +### RAED Ventures and other ventures + +The RAED Ventures team page lists Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud as a Venture Partner, alongside Alfozan and [[Kushal Shah]].[^5] Dealroom lists him as co-founder of [[ClearGrid]], described there as an AI debt-collection company.[^22] + +### Father and paternal line + +The Companies House name "Khalid Bin Bader Bin Saud Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz AL SAUD" is an Arabic nasab, a name chain that states parentage: Khalid, son of Bader, son of Saud, son of Mohammed, son of Abdulaziz.[^1] Scott Stedman was the first to report the link, writing on X on October 13, 2026 that Khalid "appears to be the son of Brigadier General Prince Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud," formerly in the special operations section of the General Intelligence Agency.[^25] + +Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud is a brigadier general of the Ministry of Interior special forces and was assistant commander of the force that guards the Grand Mosque in [[Makkah]]. [[Arab News]] wrote on September 23, 2019 that "after his graduation, Prince Bader worked as an officer, detective and search officer with the Riyadh provincial police department before being posted to the Saudi General Intelligence agency to join its special operations section."[^26] The agency is the [[General Intelligence Presidency]]. + +Bader's brother is [[Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]], president of the [[King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology]] from 2015 to 2021 and an adviser to the [[Saudi Royal Court]] with ministerial rank from December 2018, and so Khalid's paternal uncle. Al-Jazirah listed Turki and Badr among the sons of Saud bin Mohammed on January 22, 2016.[^27] + +### Same-name records + +Prince [[Khalid bin Salman]] bin Abdulaziz, the defence minister, is named on the [[General Authority for Military Industries]] website as vice chairman of its board.[^28] The names share only the first name and the Al Saud surname,. + +A Companies House search for the name returns an officer named Prince KHALID AL SAUD, born September 1994, with a [[Mayfair]] service address, which matches the birth month and year of this subject.[^29] Other officers of the same name have different birth dates: Khalid Bin Sultan AL SAUD (born September 1949), Khalid Bin Khalid AL SAUD (born November 1959), Prince Khalid Bin Bandar Bin Sultan Bin Abdulaziz AL SAUD (born August 1977) and Khalid ALWALEED BIN TALAL AL SAUD (born September 1976).[^29] + +For the Saudi banker of the same first name, see [[Khalid bin Mahfouz]]. + +### Footnotes + +[^1]: UK Companies House, personal appointments of "Khalid Bin Bader Bin Saud Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz AL SAUD" (officer record qEEjrdlLsxBzKgtrPk3zXU_hYPc), https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/qEEjrdlLsxBzKgtrPk3zXU_hYPc/appointments. Director of KEKO GROUP LTD (14180252), appointed June 17, 2022; date of birth September 1994; nationality Saudi Arabian; place of residence England. +[^2]: PRNewswire, "IFS and Echelon announce strategic partnership to drive industrial AI transformation to Saudi Arabia," Riyadh, September 30, 2026, https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/ifs-and-echelon-announce-strategic-partnership-to-drive-industrial-ai-transformation-to-saudi-arabia-302894219.html. Quotes "Prince Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud, Founder and Managing Director, Echelon." +[^3]: Echelon, website, https://www.echelon.inc/ (single-page site with sections "Why We Exist," "What We Do," "Partners," "The latest news," and the terms of use and privacy policy), captured October 13, 2026 and archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20261013213650/https://www.echelon.inc/. +[^4]: Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud, "Introducing Echelon," founder's letter, Riyadh, October 2026, published at https://www.echelon.inc/ and at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/introducing-echelon-khalid-bin-bader-al-saud-oycuc/. +[^5]: RAED Ventures, "Our team," https://raed.vc/ (archived October 13, 2026, https://web.archive.org/web/20261013212530/https://raed.vc/). Lists "Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud" as Venture Partner, with Kushal Shah and Abdulrahman Alfozan in the same category. +[^6]: UK Companies House, personal appointments of "Khalid Bin Bader Bin Saud Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz AL SAUD" (officer record cDyKBRijBKybt11YmLstKwJeiaI), https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/cDyKBRijBKybt11YmLstKwJeiaI/appointments. Director of KEKO HOSPITALITY LTD (13728119), appointed November 8, 2021; date of birth September 1994; place of residence Saudi Arabia. +[^7]: UK Companies House, personal appointments of "Khalid Bin Badr Bin Saud M. Bin ABDULAZIZ AL SAUD" (officer record 1_JGhZeOABBdFc81fghIvIkr858), https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/1_JGhZeOABBdFc81fghIvIkr858/appointments. Director of KEKO LC LTD (14981729), appointed July 5, 2023; status dissolved; date of birth September 1994. +[^8]: Zawya, "IFS وEchelon تعلنان عن شراكة استراتيجية لدفع التحول بالذكاء الاصطناعي الصناعي في المملكة العربية السعودية" (IFS and Echelon announce a strategic partnership to drive industrial AI transformation in Saudi Arabia), Arabic press release, October 1, 2026, https://www.zawya.com/ar/بيانا-صحفية/أخبار-الشركات/ifs-وechelon-تعلنان-عن-شراكة-استراتيجية-لدفع-التحول-بالذكاء-الاصطناعي-الصناعي-في-المملكة-العربية-السعودية-1459910. The quotation reads "وفي هذا السياق قال الأمير خالد بن بدر آل سعود، مؤسس Echelon ومديرها التنفيذي". +[^9]: IPS News, "Echelon Digital and Elutions announce strategic partnership to accelerate AI transformation in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East," November 3, 2025, https://ipsnews.net/business/2025/11/03/echelon-digital-and-elutions-announce-strategic-partnership-to-accelerate-ai-transformation-in-saudi-arabia-and-the-middle-east/. +[^10]: UK Companies House, KEKO HOSPITALITY LTD (13728119), company overview, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/13728119. Incorporated November 8, 2021; dissolved June 17, 2025; SIC 56101, licensed restaurants. +[^11]: UK Companies House, KEKO HOSPITALITY LTD filing history, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/13728119/filing-history. First Gazette notice for compulsory strike-off April 1, 2025; final Gazette June 17, 2025; resolutions of January 26, 2024 filed January 31, 2024; changes to director details dated July 5, September 16 and November 16, 2023. +[^12]: UK Companies House, KEKO GROUP LTD (14180252), company overview, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14180252. Incorporated June 17, 2022; dissolved November 4, 2025; SIC 64209, activities of other holding companies not elsewhere classified. +[^13]: UK Companies House, KEKO GROUP LTD persons with significant control, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14180252/persons-with-significant-control. One person with significant control: Khalid, notified June 17, 2022, ownership of shares 75 percent or more. +[^14]: UK Companies House, KEKO GROUP LTD filing history, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14180252/filing-history. Application to strike off filed August 6, 2025; first Gazette notice August 19, 2025; final Gazette November 4, 2025, dissolved via voluntary strike-off. +[^15]: UK Companies House, KEKO HOSPITALITY LTD persons with significant control, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/13728119/persons-with-significant-control. Khalid notified January 12, 2024 (shares and voting rights 75 percent or more, right to appoint or remove directors); Keko Group Ltd (14180252) notified July 13, 2022, ceased January 12, 2024. +[^16]: UK Companies House, KEKO LC LTD (14981729) filing history, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14981729/filing-history. Cessation of Arrow Uk Ventures Ltd and change of details for Keko Group Ltd as persons with significant control on March 1, 2024; termination of Neha Beriwala as director March 1, 2024; application to strike off July 3, 2024; final Gazette October 1, 2024, dissolved via voluntary strike-off. +[^17]: Same release as note 1, as reproduced at https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/ifs-echelon-announce-strategic-partnership-095000341.html. Names IFS's chief executive Mark Moffat and lists asset-intensive sectors "such as energy, manufacturing, oil and gas, aerospace and defence, logistics and telecoms." +[^18]: Wamda, "Saudi AI startup Echelon secures backing from East40, RAED Ventures and Avra," October 2026, https://www.wamda.com/2026/10/saudi-ai-startup-echelon-secures-backing-east40-raed-ventures-avra (Arabic edition dated October 7, 2026, https://www.wamda.com/ar/2026/10/saudi-ai-startup-echelon-secures-backing-east40-raed-ventures-avra, archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20261013214422/https://www.wamda.com/2026/10/saudi-ai-startup-echelon-secures-backing-east40-raed-ventures-avra-arabic). Founded in 2025 in Riyadh by Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud; undisclosed round; about ten months in development. +[^19]: Scott Stedman, post on X, October 13, 2026, https://x.com/i/web/status/2110104832178893109. States that Khalid founded Echelon, an AI company serving Saudi government and defense customers. +[^20]: Security MEA, "Rubrik Enters Saudi Market in Strategic Partnership with Echelon Digital," December 3, 2025, https://securitymea.com/2025/12/03/rubrik-enters-saudi-market-in-strategic-partnership-with-echelon-digital/. The Echelon website dates the release December 2, 2025. +[^21]: UK Companies House, ECHELON DIGITAL GROUP LTD (16500930), company overview and officers, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/16500930/officers. Incorporated June 6, 2025; status active; SIC 73110, advertising agencies; director born December 1997, British, appointed June 6, 2025. +[^22]: Dealroom, "Saudi AI company Echelon launches with backing from Ben Horowitz, Avra and others," October 8, 2026, https://dealroom.co/news/160932-saudi-ai-company-echelon-launches-with-backing-from-ben-horowitz-avra-an/. Names the investors, Khalid as founder of East40, co-founder of ClearGrid and adviser to Andreessen Horowitz; no amount or valuation. +[^23]: Andreessen Horowitz, "Investing in Nash," July 26, 2022, https://a16z.com/announcement/investing-in-nash/. "a16z is leading the Series A for Nash"; the firm "first partnered with Nash for their seed round in the fall of 2021." +[^24]: TechCrunch, "Nash raises cash to help merchants manage local deliveries," July 26, 2022, https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/26/nash-raises-cash-to-help-merchants-manage-local-deliveries/. A $20 million Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz, bringing total funding to $27.8 million, including a $7.8 million seed round that the company's chief executive says Andreessen Horowitz also led. +[^25]: Scott Stedman, post on X, October 13, 2026, https://x.com/i/web/status/2110106692914696402. Says Khalid "appears to be" the son of Brig. Gen. Prince Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud, formerly in the special operations section of the General Intelligence Agency. +[^26]: Arab News, "Brig. Gen. Prince Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud, assistant commander for special forces security at Makkah's Grand Mosque," September 23, 2019, https://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/brig-gen-prince-bader-bin-saud-bin-mohammed-al-saud-assistant-commander-for-special-forces-security-at-makkahs-grand-mosque-1558696. +[^27]: Al-Jazirah, "Saud bin Mohammed: journey and history," January 22, 2016, https://www.al-jazirah.com/2016/20160122/wa1.htm (Arabic). Gives his name as Saud bin Mohammed (al-Mutawwa) bin Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Faisal bin Turki; the sons listed include Khalid (eldest), Turki, Abdulaziz "al-Samer," Sultan, Saad, Badr, Nawaf, Mutaib and Faisal; Badr's mother is named as Al-Anoud bint Abdullah bin Abdulmohsen Al-Furm. +[^28]: General Authority for Military Industries, news item on the defence minister and new SAMI companies, https://www.gami.gov.sa/en/news/defense-minister-inaugurates-new-sami-companies-inks-international-cooperation-deals-world. Names Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz as defence minister and vice chairman of the board. +[^29]: UK Companies House, officer search results for "Khalid Al Saud," https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/search/officers?q=Khalid+Al+Saud. Lists the officers with the birth months and years given in this section. diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Kash Patel.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Kash Patel.md index be1de3b8..abb05ab5 100644 --- a/10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Kash Patel.md +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Kash Patel.md @@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ tags: summary: "Former federal prosecutor and House intelligence committee counsel, confirmed 51 to 49 as FBI director in 2025, whose bureau joined the July 2025 memo finding no Epstein client list warranting further disclosure." location: "Washington, D.C." created: 2026-09-25 -updated: 2026-09-25 +updated: 2026-10-13 relations: - type: head_of with: "[[Federal Bureau of Investigation]]" @@ -56,6 +56,10 @@ On July 18, 2025 the ranking member of the [[Senate Judiciary Committee]], [[Dic At a Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on September 16, 2025, Senator [[John Kennedy]] of Louisiana asked Patel to whom Epstein had trafficked his victims besides himself. Patel answered: "There is no credible information, none. If there were, I would bring the case yesterday that he trafficked to other individuals." He added, "I am not saying that others were not trafficked and others were not involved," and said the bureau held only "limited search warrants" from the Florida investigation of 2006 and 2007.[^6] +### The OpenAI Recording Case + +On October 13, 2026 the Justice Department announced the arrest and charge of [[Abdulrahman Alfozan]], an engineer at [[OpenAI]], for allegedly installing a recording device in an executive conference room at the company's San Francisco offices. Patel said in the release: "According to the complaint unsealed today, Abdulrahman Alfozan allegedly concealed a covert recording device inside his employer's executive conference room to secretly capture sensitive communications about the company's super intelligence technology." He added that "the FBI views that mission as one of our highest counterintelligence priorities."[^7] [[Scott Schelble]], special agent in charge of the bureau's San Francisco field office, said the agency is committed to protecting sensitive research and proprietary technology, as reported by the San Francisco Standard.[^8] Patel also thanked "Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton and our law enforcement partners," and the release states the prosecution is in support of National Security Presidential Memorandum 11 ([[NSPM-11]]).[^7] + ### Footnotes [^1]: Federal Bureau of Investigation, "Director Kash Patel," official leadership biography. https://www.fbi.gov/about/leadership-and-structure/director-patel @@ -64,3 +68,5 @@ At a Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on September 16, 2025, Senator [[John [^4]: U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation, unsigned memorandum on the review of investigative holdings relating to Jeffrey Epstein, July 7, 2025. https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1407001/dl?inline [^5]: Senator Richard J. Durbin, Ranking Member, Senate Committee on the Judiciary, letter to FBI Director Kash Patel regarding Epstein files, July 18, 2025. https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/download/2025-07-18-rjd-letter-to-fbi-director-patel-re-epstein?download=1 [^6]: Nik Popli, "Kash Patel Says There's No Credible Information Epstein Trafficked Girls to Others," *Time,* September 16, 2025. https://time.com/7317646/kash-patel-jeffrey-epstein-files/ +[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Saudi National Arrested for Installing Surreptitious Audio Recording Device at OpenAI," October 13, 2026, press release 26-1173. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/saudi-national-arrested-installing-surreptitious-audio-recording-device-openai +[^8]: "OpenAI engineer arrested in bugging of executive conference room," *San Francisco Standard,* October 13, 2026. https://sfstandard.com/2026/10/13/openai-engineer-arrested-alleged-bugging-executive-conference-room/ diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Saud al-Qahtani.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Saud al-Qahtani.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..b5e19cc1 --- /dev/null +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Saud al-Qahtani.md @@ -0,0 +1,143 @@ +--- +aliases: + - Saud al-Qahtani + - Saud Al-Qahtani + - Saud Alqahtani + - Saud bin Abdullah Al-Qahtani + - Saud A. Al-Qahtani + - Saud Abdullah Al-Qahtani + - سعود القحطاني +category: "Political Figure" +tags: + - Person + - SaudiArabia + - RoyalCourt + - MohammedBinSalman + - Khashoggi + - SocialMediaCampaigns + - HackingTeam + - Cybersecurity + - Magnitsky +summary: "Saudi royal court adviser and media adviser to Mohammed bin Salman, dismissed from the royal court in October 2018 and sanctioned by the United States in November 2018 over the killing of Jamal Khashoggi." +location: "Riyadh, Saudi Arabia" +created: 2026-10-13 +updated: 2026-10-13 +relations: + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Royal Court of Saudi Arabia]]" + role: "adviser to the royal court" + start: 2012 + end: 2018-10-20 + fn: 1 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones]]" + role: "chairman of the board of directors" + start: 2018-04 + fn: 2 + - type: head_of + with: "[[Center for Studies and Media Affairs]]" + role: "head, as reported by Middle East Eye" + start: 2016-09 + fn: 18 + - type: subject_of + with: "[[Killing of Jamal Khashoggi]]" + role: "named by the Saudi Public Prosecutor and sanctioned by the United States" + start: 2018-10-20 + fn: 21 +--- + +Saud bin Abdullah al-Qahtani was an adviser to the [[Royal Court of Saudi Arabia]] and media adviser to [[Mohammed bin Salman]] until October 2018. In 2018 he was also named as chairman of the board of the [[Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones]].[^1][^2] + +### Royal Court Service + +[[Al Jazeera]] reported on October 20, 2018 that Qahtani, a law graduate, had served as media adviser to the crown prince after several positions within the royal court. It wrote that he first worked as a legal adviser to the team of [[Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud]] in 2003, when Abdullah was crown prince, then as an adviser to the deputy chief of the royal court, and from 2012 as an adviser to the court.[^1] + +### #TheBlacklist and the Social Media Campaigns + +In 2017, during the diplomatic rupture with [[Qatar]], Qahtani launched the hashtag #TheBlacklist, urging Saudis to add names of Qatar sympathizers to the list.[^1] The UN report on the killing of Khashoggi quotes his posts of August 17 and 18, 2017, including "They will be sorted. They will be followed up on from now" and "Does a pseudonym protect you from #the_black_list? No 1) States have a method to learn the owner of the pseudonym 2) the IP address can be learned using a number of methods 3) a secret I will not say."[^3] The same report states that "There is credible evidence that he personally directed a campaign targeting activists and political opponents."[^3] The report also quotes a post of August 17, 2017: "I am a trustworthy employee who carries out the orders of my boss the king and my boss the crown prince."[^3] Al Jazeera wrote that Qahtani "has also been accused of using bot networks against political opponents and push government propaganda."[^1] + +### Twitter Operations and Platform Disclosures + +The [[New York Times]] reported on October 20, 2018 that Qahtani "was the strategist behind the operation" of a Saudi troll farm on Twitter, according to United States and Saudi officials and activist organizations. The article says the specialists recruited into the operation "heard directors speak often of Mr. Qahtani," records the labels "troll master," "Saudi Arabia's Steve Bannon" and "lord of the flies" applied to him by activists and writers, and states that neither Saudi officials nor Qahtani responded to requests for comment.[^4] [[Reuters]] wrote in January 2019 that as head of the royal court's media center he "ran an electronic media army tasked with protecting Saudi Arabia's image."[^5] + +On September 20, 2019 [[Twitter]] permanently suspended Qahtani's account for violations of its platform manipulation policies, and said it would not add his tweets to its archive of state-backed information operations. Al Jazeera noted that he had not tweeted since October 22, 2018.[^6] On December 20, 2019 Twitter published data on 5,929 accounts it had removed as a "significant state-backed information operation on Twitter originating in Saudi Arabia," the core of a network of more than 88,000 accounts. Its blog traced the activity to Smaat, "a social media marketing and management company based in Saudi Arabia," which it said appeared to have created, purchased or managed the accounts "on behalf of, but not necessarily with the knowledge of, their clients," and which it said managed accounts for high-profile individuals and many Saudi government departments.[^7] Al Jazeera's report of the December disclosure recalled the September suspension of Qahtani, "who also served as director of the cybersecurity federation."[^8] + +### Federation Chairmanship + +On April 15, 2018, [[Arab News]] reported a memorandum of understanding between the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones and [[STC]] and identified the federation's chairman as "Adviser at the Royal Court, chairman of the board of directors, SAFCSP, Saud bin Abdullah Al-Qahtani."[^2] On August 2, 2018 Arab News quoted him as "Royal Court advisor and head of the Saudi Federation for Cyber Security, Programming and Drones" when announcing the Hajj hackathon record.[^9] + +### Dismissal, October 2018 + +On October 20, 2018 Saudi state media reported that Qahtani had been fired as royal court adviser. The same announcement said that King [[Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud]] had ordered the restructuring of the command of the [[General Intelligence Presidency]] under the supervision of the crown prince.[^1] Arabic-language outlets published a royal order relieving Qahtani, adviser to the royal court, and [[Ahmed Asiri]], deputy of general intelligence, from their posts, along with Qahtani's post thanking the king.[^10][^11] + +Bloomberg reported on October 24, 2018, a week after the dismissal, under the headline "Fired Saudi Royal Court Adviser Drops All Titles in Twitter Bio."[^12] On the day of the dismissal Qahtani had written on Twitter that he was grateful to the Saudi government for "the great opportunity they gave me to serve my country all those years" and would "remain a loyal servant to my country for all times."[^1] + +The UN report states that "According to some media reports, despite his dismissal from the Royal Court, Mr. Alqahtani continues to advise the Crown Prince."[^13] + +### Prosecution Decision and Later Reports + +Reuters reported on January 16, 2019 that six sources said Qahtani "remains active on behalf of the royal court": two said he had kept in touch with the crown prince and three others said he continued to instruct a small group of Saudi journalists on what to write. A senior Saudi official had described his removal as "a political decision."[^5] On March 24, 2019 Reuters wrote, citing seven sources familiar with the proceedings, that Qahtani was not on trial and had not appeared at any of the four court sessions held since January. It added that two regional intelligence sources said he had overseen the Khashoggi operation by giving orders over Skype.[^14] + +On December 23, 2019, after the closed Riyadh trial, the Saudi public prosecution said that Qahtani "was investigated but not indicted 'due to insufficient evidence,'" and that Ahmed Asiri was charged and acquitted on the same grounds, according to Al Jazeera's report of the statement by the prosecution spokesman Shalaan al-Shalaan. Of the 11 individuals indicted, five were sentenced to death and three to prison terms totalling 24 years.[^15] + +The Office of the Director of National Intelligence released an assessment, dated February 11, 2021, listing Qahtani among the individuals it assessed with high confidence "participated in, ordered, or were otherwise complicit in or responsible for the death of Jamal Khashoggi on behalf of Muhammad bin Salman." The assessment states that the royal court's Center for Studies and Media Affairs was led by Qahtani at the time of the operation, and that he "claimed publicly in mid-2018 that he did not make decisions without the Crown Prince's approval."[^16] + +The German news agency dpa reported on June 18, 2023 that videos showing Qahtani received by hosts had circulated on social media that day, which observers saw as his first public appearance since the killing. It wrote that unconfirmed reports placed him visiting an uncle in Jeddah and that it was unclear when the videos were recorded.[^17] + +### Khashoggi Killing + +The [[United States Department of the Treasury]] designated Qahtani on November 15, 2018 under [[Executive Order 13818]], which implements the [[Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act]]. The release describes him as "a senior official of the Government of Saudi Arabia who was part of the planning and execution of the operation that led to the killing of Mr. Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on October 2, 2018."[^18] + +The UN report by [[Agnes Callamard]] (A/HRC/41/CRP.1, June 19, 2019) reports that "According to the Saudi Prosecutor statement of November 15, 2018, Saud Alqahtani was one of the senior officials directly involved in the mission."[^13] It records that [[Maher Mutreb]], the alleged head of the team that negotiated with [[Jamal Khashoggi]], "was himself an employee of Saad al-Qahtani, according to the Saudi Prosecutor."[^13] The report's wording on his dismissal is "The firing of Saud Alqahtani reflects some acknowledgement by the Government of Saudi Arabia of his involvement and responsibility. His criminal responsibility should be investigated further."[^13] + +The same report addresses "the question of credible evidence warranting further investigation of high-level officials currently not being criminally charged, specifically Saud Alqahtani, and the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman." It adds: "No conclusion is made as to guilt."[^13] + +The UN report also describes a forensic review of a phone belonging to Qahtani, commissioned by the Saudi Public Prosecutor from the [[Kroll]] security firm and focused on WhatsApp messages between Mohammed bin Salman and Qahtani on October 2 and 3, 2018. According to the [[Wall Street Journal]], which saw a draft of the Kroll report, one message had been deleted from Qahtani's phone. The Saudi Public Prosecutor told Kroll that Qahtani had sent a message containing a typographical error, deleted it and then sent a corrected one.[^13] + +### Ritz-Carlton Detentions and Saad Hariri, November 2017 + +From November 4, 2017 hundreds of Saudi princes, businessmen and officials were held at the [[Ritz-Carlton]] in Riyadh. [[NBC News]] quoted the Canadian businessman Alan Bender, who said he was flown to Riyadh to give video testimony against a detainee, as saying that Qahtani, "a top adviser to the crown prince," "bragged to me that they slapped and hung some detainees upside down." NBC wrote that Saudi authorities denied that any abuse or torture took place.[^19] + +The UN report states that the Special Rapporteur "was informed that he was one of two officials who personally interrogated and threatened Prime Minister [[Saad Hariri]] of Lebanon, during his detention in a private residence on the compound of the Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh, in November 2017, to force him to resign." It adds that people close to the incident described the treatment as "psychological torture."[^13] + +### Other Allegations in the UN Report + +The report states that "Two have allegedly stated that Saud Alqahtani was physically present during their torture" (six women activists reported torture in prison). It quotes an official February 2019 communication from Special Procedures to Saudi Arabia in which Qahtani is reported to have told one of the women: "I'll do whatever I like to you, and then I'll dissolve you and flush you down the toilet."[^13] + +### Foreign Lobbying Filings + +[[Middle East Eye]] reported on September 24, 2021 that [[Squire Patton Boggs]] began work in September 2016 for the [[Center for Studies and Media Affairs]], "run by Saudi royal court adviser Saud al-Qahtani," on a contract of $100,000 a month, according to foreign lobbying filings. The firm later ended the representation.[^20] + +### Hacking Team Correspondence, 2015 + +WikiLeaks publishes two messages dated June 30, 2015 in the [[Hacking Team]] archive, document IDs 1134550 (08:46:49) and 1134640 (08:59:51), both with the subject "R: R: Requist." Each is sent from Hacking Team's key account manager, [[Emad Shehata]], to an "s. qahtani" address at royalcourt.gov.sa, and the Arabic text of each names "سعود عبدالله القحطاني" (Saud Abdullah al-Qahtani). The first says "I need the attached one, as per my one"; the second says "I got your key, now you need to download my key" and asks whether there is a problem with the attachment.[^21] + +### Bezos Phone Analysis, 2020 + +A summary of the analysis of [[Jeff Bezos]]'s iPhone by [[FTI Consulting]], reprinted on the website of Senator [[Chris Murphy]], states that the analysis found the device "had been compromised by cybersecurity tools linked to Saud al Qahtani, a close friend of bin Salman and the former president and chairman of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones."[^22] The UN statement of January 22, 2020, reported by [[CNBC]], said FTI reported "with medium to high confidence" that the phone was compromised by malware sent from a WhatsApp account used by Mohammed bin Salman.[^23] CNBC wrote that [[Pegasus]], the spyware made by [[NSO Group]], "has been widely reported as having been purchased by Saudi officials including Saud al-Qahtani, Prince Mohammed's former advisor who was implicated in the Khashoggi murder but ultimately not charged by the Saudi authorities."[^23] + +### Footnotes + +[^1]: Al Jazeera, "Who is Saud al-Qahtani, the fired Saudi royal court adviser?," October 20, 2018. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/saud-al-qahtani-fired-saudi-royal-court-adviser-181020125449478.html +[^2]: Arab News, "Saudi Federation for Cyber Security and Programming signs MoU with STC," April 15, 2018. https://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/saudi-federation-for-cyber-security-and-programming-signs-mou-with-stc-1285341 +[^3]: United Nations, Human Rights Council, A/HRC/41/CRP.1, "Investigation into the unlawful death of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi," annex to the report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, June 19, 2019, paragraph 253. https://www.ohchr.org/en/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session41/Documents/A_HRC_41_CRP.1.pdf +[^4]: The New York Times, "Saudis' Image Makers: A Troll Army and a Twitter Insider," October 20, 2018. Copy: https://web.archive.org/web/2018id_/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/20/us/politics/saudi-image-campaign-twitter.html +[^5]: Reuters, "Saudi aide fired over Khashoggi murder still wields influence," January 16, 2019. Copy: https://kaieteurnewsonline.com/2019/01/16/saudi-aide-fired-over-khashoggi-murder-still-wields-influence/ +[^6]: Al Jazeera, "Twitter suspends thousands of fake accounts from UAE," September 20, 2019. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/twitter-suspends-thousands-fake-accounts-uae-190920083258996.html ; Anadolu Agency, "Twitter shuts down troll armies of Saudi Arabia, UAE," September 2019, quoting the company statement. https://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/twitter-shuts-down-troll-armies-of-saudi-arabia-uae/1589342 +[^7]: Twitter, "New disclosures to our archive of state-backed information operations," December 20, 2019. Copy: https://web.archive.org/web/2019id_/https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2019/new-disclosures-to-our-archive-of-state-backed-information-operations.html +[^8]: Al Jazeera, "Twitter removes 5,929 Saudi accounts it deems to be state-backed," December 20, 2019. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/twitter-removes-5929-saudi-accounts-deems-state-backed-191220165945566.html +[^9]: Arab News, "Saudi-based Hajj Hackathon makes it to the Guinness Book of Records," August 2, 2018. https://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/saudi-based-hajj-hackathon-makes-it-to-the-guinness-book-of-records-1350066 +[^10]: Slaati.com, Arabic report, "أول تعليق من سعود القحطاني بعد قرار إعفاءه" (Saud al-Qahtani's first comment after the decision to relieve him), October 20, 2018. https://slaati.com/2018/10/20/p1217889.html (English gloss of title) +[^11]: Al Mowaten, Arabic report, "الملك يعفي نائب رئيس الاستخبارات أحمد" (the king relieves the deputy intelligence chief Ahmed), October 2018. https://www.almowaten.net/2018/10/الملك-يعفي-نائب-رئيس-الاستخبارات-أحمد/ (English gloss of title) +[^12]: BloombergQuint, "Fired Saudi Royal Court Adviser Drops All Titles in Twitter Bio," October 24, 2018. https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/fired-saudi-royal-court-adviser-drops-all-titles-in-twitter-bio ; copy at https://web.archive.org/web/2018id_/https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/fired-saudi-royal-court-adviser-drops-all-titles-in-twitter-bio +[^13]: United Nations, Human Rights Council, A/HRC/41/CRP.1, June 19, 2019, paragraphs 186, 250, 253, 254(a) to 254(g), and footnote 100. The report spells the name of Maher Mutreb's employer "Saad al-Qahtani" in paragraph 254(c). https://www.ohchr.org/en/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session41/Documents/A_HRC_41_CRP.1.pdf +[^14]: Reuters, "Royal court adviser fired over Khashoggi killing 'not on trial,'" March 24, 2019. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/3/24/royal-court-adviser-fired-over-khashoggi-killing-not-on-trial +[^15]: Al Jazeera, "Five sentenced to death over Jamal Khashoggi's murder," December 23, 2019. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/23/five-sentenced-to-death-over-jamal-khashoggis-murder +[^16]: Office of the Director of National Intelligence, "Assessing the Saudi Government's Role in the Killing of Jamal Khashoggi," February 11, 2021 (declassified February 25, 2021). https://archive.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Assessment-Saudi-Gov-Role-in-JK-Death-20210226v2.pdf +[^17]: dpa via Ghana News Agency, "Years after Khashoggi murder, Saudi crown prince confidant resurfaces," June 18, 2023. https://gna.org.gh/?p=285836 +[^18]: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Press Release sm547, "Treasury Sanctions 17 Individuals for Their Roles in the Killing of Jamal Khashoggi," November 15, 2018. https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm547 +[^19]: NBC News, "How a Saudi royal crushed his rivals in a 'shakedown' at the Ritz-Carlton," undated. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/mideast/how-saudi-royal-crushed-his-rivals-shakedown-ritz-carlton-n930396 +[^20]: Middle East Eye, "Khashoggi: US firm ends lobbying contract with Saudi centre linked to murder," September 24, 2021. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/khashoggi-saudi-lobby-firm-ends-contract ; the contract figures are attributed by the article to foreign lobbying filings. +[^21]: WikiLeaks, Hacking Team archive, document IDs 1134550 and 1134640, June 30, 2015, search results for "qahtani." https://wikileaks.org/hackingteam/emails/?q=qahtani +[^22]: Office of Senator Chris Murphy, "In the News," reprinting a report on the FTI Consulting analysis of Jeff Bezos's iPhone, undated (2020). https://murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/in-the-news/democratic-senator-asks-intelligence-agencies-to-open-probe-into-bezos-phone-hack ; the quoted sentence on the FTI finding. +[^23]: CNBC, "Bezos phone hacking: UN calls for immediate investigation," January 22, 2020. Copy: https://web.archive.org/web/2020id_/https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/22/bezos-phone-hacking-un-calls-for-immediate-investigation.html diff --git a/10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud.md b/10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..58348686 --- /dev/null +++ b/10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud.md @@ -0,0 +1,141 @@ +--- +aliases: + - Turki bin Saud + - Turki bin Saud Al Saud + - Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed + - Turki bin Saud bin Mohammad Al Saud + - Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud + - Turki Saud Mohammad Al Saud + - تركي بن سعود بن محمد +category: "Scientists & Researchers" +tags: + - Person + - SaudiArabia + - SaudiRoyalFamily + - KACST + - SpaceProgram + - Satellites + - AerospaceEngineering + - CompaniesHouse +summary: "Saudi prince and aerospace engineer, president of KACST from 2015 to 2021, royal court adviser with ministerial rank from 2018, and controlling owner of three UK fusion, launch and satellite-equipment companies." +location: "Riyadh, Saudi Arabia" +created: 2026-10-13 +updated: 2026-10-13 +relations: + - type: head_of + with: "[[King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology]]" + role: "president" + start: 2015-02 + end: 2021-04 + fn: 9 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology]]" + role: "director of the Space Research Institute, then vice president for research institutes" + start: 1997 + end: 2015 + fn: 8 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Saudi Royal Court]]" + role: "adviser with the rank of minister" + start: 2018-12-27 + fn: 2 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Saudi Space Commission]]" + role: "board member" + fn: 3 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Taqnia]]" + role: "chairman of the board" + fn: 8 + - type: relative_of + with: "[[Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]]" + role: "brother (both sons of Saud bin Mohammed)" + fn: 6 + - type: relative_of + with: "[[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]]" + role: "nephew (son of his brother Bader)" + fn: 6 + - type: owned + with: "[[Pulsed Fusion Energy Ltd]]" + role: "person with significant control, 75 percent or more of shares and votes" + start: 2024-05-13 + fn: 4 + - type: owned + with: "[[European Launch System Ltd]]" + role: "person with significant control, 75 percent or more of shares and votes" + start: 2024-05-18 + fn: 4 + - type: owned + with: "[[Solid Orbit Ltd]]" + role: "person with significant control, 75 percent or more of shares and votes" + start: 2024-06-02 + fn: 4 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Pulsed Fusion Energy Ltd]]" + start: 2026-08-13 + fn: 4 + - type: director_of + with: "[[European Launch System Ltd]]" + start: 2026-08-13 + fn: 4 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Solid Orbit Ltd]]" + start: 2026-08-13 + fn: 4 +--- + +Prince Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud is a Saudi aerospace engineer who headed the [[King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology]] (KACST), the national science agency that builds and operates Saudi Arabia's satellites, from 2015 to 2021. In December 2018 he was made an adviser to the [[Saudi Royal Court]] with the rank of minister, and he sits on the board of the [[Saudi Space Commission]]. [[Companies House]] lists him as director and 75 percent or greater owner of three UK companies in fusion research, launch systems and communications equipment.[^1][^2][^3][^4] + +### Name + +The royal order of December 27, 2018 gives the name as "Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud."[^2] The Saudi Space Commission lists him as "H.H. Dr. Turki Saud Mohammad AL Saud," and the KACST release of April 2015 gives "Prince Dr. Turki bin Saud bin Mohammad Al Saud."[^3][^5] The Companies House officer records read "Turki Bin Saud Bin Mohammed BIN ABDULAZIZ AL SAUD," with the style "H.H. Prince."[^4] + +His father was Saud bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a poet and a member of the line of [[Saud bin Faisal bin Turki Al Saud]]. The Royal Court announced his death on December 29, 2015 (18 Rabi al-Thani 1437), with prayers at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in [[Riyadh]].[^6][^7] He is a different man from [[Turki bin Saud Al Kabeer]], and from [[Turki bin Mohammed bin Fahd Al Saud]], who became a minister of state in the same royal orders of December 27, 2018.[^2] + +### Education and KACST career + +He holds a PhD in aeronautics and astronautics from [[Stanford University]]. In 1997 he joined KACST as director of the newly established Space Research Institute, and in 2004 he became its vice president for research institutes. He chaired the KACST scientific council.[^8] + +He took over as president of KACST in the first days of February 2015 (his appointment is dated January 29, 2015), after [[Ibrahim Al-Suwaiyel]], the previous president, was named minister of communications and information technology.[^8][^9] [[Munir El-Desouki]] was appointed president by royal decree on April 19, 2021.[^10] + +Alongside the presidency he chaired the supervisory committee of the National Science, Technology and Innovation Plan, the supervisory committee of the King Abdullah Initiative for Solar Water Desalination, and the board of [[Taqnia]] (the Technology Development and Investment Company), and he served on the advisory council of the Stanford School of Engineering.[^8] + +### Satellites and foreign partners + +On April 28, 2015, [[Arabsat]] and KACST announced contracts for [[Lockheed Martin]] to build two A2100 communications satellites, Arabsat 6A and Hellas-Sat-4/SaudiGeoSat-1, with a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and TAQNIA Space Company in which KACST was the technology partner. The release quotes him: "KACST will elevate local satellite technologies competency through the Joint Venture with Lockheed Martin and TAQNIA Space Company."[^5] Lockheed Martin reported a production milestone for both satellites on May 31, 2016, and SaudiGeoSat-1/Hellas-Sat-4 launched on February 5, 2019.[^11] + +In May 2018 a KACST optical camera flew on the Longjiang-2 microsatellite, which launched with the Chang'e-4 lunar relay satellite from China; it returned images of the Earth and the Moon from lunar orbit.[^12] + +### Royal Court and Space Commission + +The royal orders of December 27, 2018 appointed him an adviser at the Royal Court with the rank of minister, in the same set of orders that reconstituted the Council of Ministers.[^2] The Saudi Space Commission, which was established in December 2018 with [[Abdullah Al-Swaha]] as chairman, lists him as a board member beside Al-Swaha and [[Mohammed Al-Suwaiyel]].[^3] + +### Family + +Al-Jazirah published a biography of Saud bin Mohammed on January 22, 2016, which names more than thirty children and lists among his sons "Prince Dr. Turki, president of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology" and "Prince Dr. Colonel Paratrooper (Badr)," then of the special force for the security of the Grand Mosque, whose mother was Princess Al-Anoud bint Abdullah Al-Furm. The same list names Abdulaziz "al-Samer" and Dr. Saad "al-Munadi," both poets.[^6] + +Bader is [[Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]], whose son is [[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]], the founder of [[Echelon (company)]]. Turki is Khalid's paternal uncle.[^6] + +### UK companies + +Companies House records three private limited companies sharing a registered office in Northamptonshire. Each lists Turki as a director appointed on August 13, 2026, with Saudi Arabian nationality, residence in Saudi Arabia, and a date of birth of October 1957; a corporate service provider (Higgins Fairbairn & Co) is recorded as having verified his identity on November 25, 2025.[^4] A biographical aggregator gives his date of birth as October 3, 1953.[^13] + +Pulsed Fusion Energy Ltd (company 15717442) was incorporated on May 13, 2024 as ROBOT XI LIMITED and took its present name on November 12, 2024. Its business code is 72190, other research and experimental development in natural sciences and engineering. European Launch System Ltd (15727737) was incorporated on May 18, 2024, and Solid Orbit Ltd (15755615) on June 2, 2024; both carry code 26309, manufacture of communication equipment. Each register lists Turki as the one person with significant control since the day of incorporation, with 75 percent or more of the shares and voting rights and the right to appoint and remove directors.[^4] + +The other director of each company is Simon Evans (born June 1958, British), appointed on the incorporation date of the company; Solid Orbit has a third director, Daniel Malcolm Jubb (born February 1984, British), appointed on September 9, 2026.[^4] + +### Footnotes + +[^1]: UK Companies House, personal appointments of Turki Bin Saud Bin Mohammed BIN ABDULAZIZ AL SAUD, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/dysOEwiK9fb-UPNURIGrzji6LrQ/appointments (two further officer records of the same name: vDxbbcKSX0WR9FEqBk4VxtXXHpA and gudeHKjyPtgOMcMohsf3Q9COOME). +[^2]: Al Bayan, "Royal orders," December 27, 2018, https://www.albayan.ae/one-world/arabs/2018-12-27-1.3444982: "Appointment of Prince Dr. Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as adviser at the Royal Court with the rank of minister" (Arabic). Saudi Press Agency text of the order: https://x.com/spagov/status/1078273878621896704. +[^3]: Saudi Space Commission, "About us," board of directors, Wayback capture of May 29, 2023, https://web.archive.org/web/20230529165034/https://saudispace.gov.sa/en/about-us/. Lists "H.H. Dr. Turki Saud Mohammad AL Saud, Member." +[^4]: UK Companies House: PULSED FUSION ENERGY LTD. (15717442), EUROPEAN LAUNCH SYSTEM LTD (15727737) and SOLID ORBIT LTD (15755615), overview, officers and persons with significant control pages, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/15717442, /15727737 and /15755615. PSC notified May 13, May 18 and June 2, 2024. Higgins Fairbairn & Co ACSP verification checks completed November 25, 2025. +[^5]: PR Newswire, "Arabsat and KACST Award Lockheed Martin Contract to Provide Satellite Systems," April 28, 2015, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arabsat-and-kacst-award-lockheed-martin-contract-to-provide-satellite-systems-to-strengthen-tv-internet-telephone-communication-300073148.html. Quotation by "Prince Dr. Turki bin Saud bin Mohammad Al Saud, President of KACST." +[^6]: Al-Jazirah, "Saud bin Mohammed: journey and history," January 22, 2016, https://www.al-jazirah.com/2016/20160122/wa1.htm (Arabic). Gives his name as Saud bin Mohammed (al-Mutawwa) bin Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Faisal bin Turki; lists his sons, among them Turki and Badr; states that he died on the morning of Tuesday 18-3-1437 AH. +[^7]: Saudi Press Agency via Argaam, "Royal Court: death of Prince Saud bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz," December 29, 2015, https://www.argaam.com/ar/article/articledetail/id/402458 (also Al-Riyadh, https://alriyadh.com/1114485). +[^8]: International Astronautical Federation, biography of Turki Bin Saud Bin Mohammad Al Saud, https://www.iafastro.org/biographie/turki-bin-saud-bin-mohammad-al-saud.html. Stanford PhD in aeronautics and astronautics; joined KACST in 1997 as director of the Space Research Institute; vice president for research institutes 2004; chairman of the KACST scientific council; "In January 29, 2015 he was appointed as the President of KACST"; chairman of the NSTIP and solar desalination supervisory committees and of the board of Taqnia. +[^9]: Arab News, "KACST embarks on new era under Prince Turki," February 3, 2015, https://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/kacst-embarks-on-new-era-under-prince-turki-698736. "Prince Turki bin Saud, Vice President of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) for Research Institutes, took over as its president on Sunday," succeeding Ibrahim Al-Suwaiyel. +[^10]: Arab News, "Who's Who: Dr. Munir bin Mahmoud El-Desouki, president of King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology," April 21, 2021, https://www.arabnews.com/node/1846711/saudi-arabia. Appointed by royal decree on April 19, 2021. +[^11]: Lockheed Martin, "Lockheed Martin, Arabsat and KACST Achieve Significant Milestone on Arabsat 6A and Hellas-Sat-4/SaudiGeoSat-1," May 31, 2016, https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2016-05-31-Lockheed-Martin-Arabsat-and-KACST-Achieve-Significant-Milestone-on-Arabsat-6A-and-Hellas-Sat-4-SaudiGeoSat-1-Satellite-Production. +[^12]: SpaceNews, "China looks to build space partnerships with Gulf nations," December 2022, https://spacenews.com/china-looks-to-build-space-partnerships-with-gulf-nations/. "A small camera from the King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology (KACST) flew on the Longjiang-2 (DSLWP-B) lunar microsatellite launched with a relay satellite for the Chang'e-4 lunar far side landing." Launch date: The Planetary Society, "Lunar Orbiter Longjiang-2 Smashes into Moon," https://www.planetary.org/articles/longjiang-2-impacts-moon. +[^13]: Manhom, profile of Prince Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud, https://manhom.com/شخصيات/الأمير-تركي-بن-سعود-بن-محمد-آل-سعود/. Gives his birth as October 3, 1953. diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/INTERNATIONAL/General Intelligence Presidency.md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/INTERNATIONAL/General Intelligence Presidency.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..0a4f6085 --- /dev/null +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/INTERNATIONAL/General Intelligence Presidency.md @@ -0,0 +1,159 @@ +--- +aliases: + - General Intelligence Presidency + - GIP + - Saudi General Intelligence Presidency + - Saudi General Intelligence + - Saudi Arabian intelligence + - Saudi intelligence + - General Intelligence Directorate (Saudi Arabia) + - Saudi General Intelligence Directorate + - Saudi Arabia's General Intelligence Directorate + - Al-Mukhabarat Al-A'amah + - Istikhbarat Al Amah + - Presidency of General Intelligence + - رئاسة الاستخبارات العامة +category: "Foreign Government" +tags: + - Organization + - SaudiArabia + - IntelligenceService + - Mukhabarat + - SafariClub + - Khashoggi + - CIALiaison + - BCCI +summary: "The Saudi foreign intelligence service, set up in 1956 under King Saud, headed by Kamal Adham, Turki al-Faisal and others, restructured by royal order after the Khashoggi killing in 2018." +start: 1956 +location: "Riyadh, Saudi Arabia" +created: 2026-10-13 +updated: 2026-10-13 +relations: + - type: head_of + with: "[[Kamal Adham]]" + reverse: true + role: "first director of the service" + end: 1979 + fn: 2 + - type: head_of + with: "[[A. R. (Abdul Raouf) Khalil]]" + reverse: true + role: "described in the Senate BCCI report as a head of Saudi intelligence successive to Adham" + fn: 4 + - type: head_of + with: "[[Turki al-Faisal]]" + reverse: true + role: "director, from 1977 per Arab News and 1979 per Gulf News" + end: 2001-08 + fn: 7 + - type: head_of + with: "[[Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz Al Saud]]" + reverse: true + start: 2001-09 + end: 2005-01 + fn: 2 + - type: head_of + with: "[[Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud]]" + reverse: true + start: 2005-10 + end: 2012-07 + fn: 9 + - type: head_of + with: "[[Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud]]" + reverse: true + start: 2012-07 + end: 2014-04 + fn: 10 + - type: head_of + with: "[[Youssef bin Ali Al Idrissi]]" + reverse: true + start: 2014-04 + end: 2014-06 + fn: 11 + - type: head_of + with: "[[Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud]]" + reverse: true + start: 2014-06 + end: 2015-01 + fn: 13 + - type: head_of + with: "[[Khalid bin Ali Al Humaidan]]" + reverse: true + start: 2015-01 + fn: 14 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]]" + reverse: true + role: "special operations section, posting undated" + fn: 23 +--- +The General Intelligence Presidency (Arabic: Ri'asat al-Istikhbarat al-'Amma, also rendered General Intelligence Directorate, Istikhbarat Al Amah and Al-Mukhabarat Al-A'amah) is the foreign intelligence service of [[Saudi Arabia]], headquartered in [[Riyadh]]. English-language sources also call it Saudi intelligence, the General Intelligence Directorate or the General Intelligence agency.[^1] + +### Establishment + +The Saudi government encyclopedia dates the Presidency to 1956 and an order of [[King Saud]], who directed that it be organized with defined responsibilities and set up branches in the western region (the Jeddah office) and the Eastern Province (the Dhahran office). It records nine presidents since the founding, including two sons and three grandsons of [[Ibn Saud|King Abdulaziz]], the longest term lasting about twenty-four years and the shortest about eleven months.[^1] Arab News wrote in 2001 that the agency was established in the mid-1960s, with [[Kamal Adham]] its first director.[^2] [[Joseph Kechichian]] wrote in Gulf News that Riyadh created its first intelligence-gathering service during the Arab Cold War, which pitted royalists against Nasserists, and that the General Intelligence Directorate was created under [[King Faisal|King Faisal]], who entrusted it to Adham, the younger half-brother of Queen Iffat.[^3] + +The Presidency reports to the king. Kechichian wrote that Adham acted as liaison between the Directorate, which reported to the king, and Western intelligence services, and that his most successful connections were with his Egyptian counterparts, which allowed him to fashion the 1967 Faisal-Nasser reconciliation.[^3] + +### Kamal Adham and the CIA liaison + +Kechichian wrote that Faisal appointed Adham, born in Istanbul in 1929 and educated at Victoria College in Cairo and at Cambridge, as the first and only ethnic non-Arab chief of Saudi intelligence, a post he held until 1979, when King Khalid replaced him with Turki al-Faisal.[^3] The Senate Foreign Relations Committee report on the [[Bank of Credit and Commerce International]] described Adham as the "past" Saudi intelligence liaison to the United States, and [[A. R. (Abdul Raouf) Khalil]] as the "then-current" one when [[Financial General Bankshares]] (later [[First American Bank]]) was acquired. It wrote that Adham and Khalil were "two successive heads of Saudi intelligence" who were also nominees for BCCI, and that the CIA, asked by the Federal Reserve whether it held derogatory information on the buyers, did not tell the Federal Reserve that both men were foreign intelligence liaisons of the United States.[^4][^5] The committee called Adham "the CIA's former principal contact in the Arab Middle East" and "former Saudi intelligence chief".[^5] Arab News, reporting the 2001 change of director, wrote that Nawwaf was the third director since the agency was established in the mid-1960s, after Adham and Turki al-Faisal.[^2] + +The grouping known as the [[Safari Club]] (1976 to 1981), organized by the head of France's [[SDECE]], [[Alexandre de Marenches]], counted the Saudi directorate among its member services, represented by Adham and later by Turki al-Faisal.[^6] + +### Turki al-Faisal, 1977 to 2001 + +Simon Henderson of the [[Washington Institute for Near East Policy]] wrote that Prince Turki al-Faisal, a son of King Faisal, began as deputy director at the age of 23 and was promoted to the top job nine years later, in 1977, and that for a quarter-century he was the main contact for liaison with the CIA and the British Secret Intelligence Service.[^7] Since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, Henderson wrote, Turki also held the "Afghanistan file" and acted as the kingdom's main point of contact with the CIA-backed mujahedeen, with [[Osama bin Laden]] and others, and later with the warring factions and the Taliban.[^7] Gulf News gives 1979 as the year Turki replaced Adham; Arab News and the Washington Institute give 1977.[^2][^3][^7] + +On August 31, 2001, the Saudi Press Agency announced a royal decree appointing Prince [[Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz Al Saud]] director of intelligence, replacing Turki, who "was relieved of the post at his request."[^2] Henderson wrote that the announcement said Turki had resigned "at his own request" and that he was sacked for reasons that were not known, and set out the dynastic and Taliban-related theories then circulating after the September 11 attacks.[^7] + +### Succession, 2001 to 2015 + +King Fahd's decree of January 26, 2005 relieved Nawwaf "based on his request" and appointed him an adviser of ministerial rank; he had had surgery in 2002 after a brain haemorrhage, and the decree named no successor.[^8] On October 22, 2005, after a nine-month gap, King Abdullah issued a royal decree naming Prince [[Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud]] head of the General Intelligence Presidency.[^9] + +On July 19, 2012, the Saudi Press Agency reported that King Abdullah had relieved Muqrin and named him a ministerial-level adviser and special envoy, appointing Prince [[Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud]], who kept his post as secretary general of the National Security Council.[^10] On April 15, 2014, a royal decree exempted Bandar "from his position at his own request" and replaced him with his deputy, [[Youssef bin Ali Al Idrissi]].[^11] Kechichian wrote that Idrissi was a non-royal, in a post usually reserved for a royal, and that Bandar's partial release was primarily for health reasons.[^12] AFP reported diplomats' statements that Bandar had been sidelined in the Saudi effort to support Syrian rebels and that the file had passed to Interior Minister [[Mohammed bin Nayef]].[^11] + +On June 30, 2014, the Saudi Press Agency reported a decree naming Prince [[Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud]], the governor of Riyadh who had been made deputy defence minister six weeks earlier and relieved of that post two days before, chief of general intelligence.[^13] On January 29, 2015, a week after the accession of King Salman, the agency reported a royal order relieving Khalid bin Bandar and appointing Gen. [[Khalid bin Ali Al Humaidan]] with cabinet rank.[^14] On August 7, 2026, Arab News reported Humaidan, described as Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief, in Baghdad for talks with the Iraqi prime minister on security coordination and intelligence sharing.[^15] + +### Khashoggi and the 2018 restructuring + +[[Jamal Khashoggi]] was killed inside the Saudi consulate in [[Istanbul]] on October 2, 2018. On October 20, 2018, the Saudi Press Agency reported royal decrees removing the deputy head of the Presidency, [[Ahmed Al-Asiri]], and [[Saud Al-Qahtani]] from his advisory role at the Royal Court. Arab News named three other intelligence officials dismissed that day: Mohammad bin Saleh Al-Rumaih, Abdullah bin Khalifa Al-Shaya and Rashad bin Hamed Al-Muhamadi. The same decrees ordered a ministerial committee headed by Crown Prince [[Mohammed bin Salman]] to restructure the General Intelligence agency and issue its results within a month; its members included the interior and foreign ministers and the heads of General Intelligence and [[Presidency of State Security|State Security]].[^16] On October 23, 2018, the Council of Ministers, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency, described the royal directives as reflecting a determination "not only to hold those involved to account but also to take corrective measures."[^17] + +In December 2018, the Saudi Press Agency reported that the committee had decided that separate departments for strategy and development, for legal affairs, and for performance evaluation and internal review be established within the Presidency.[^18] + +Turkish sources said that 15 Saudi intelligence operatives flew to Istanbul on two private jets hours before the killing; the Saudi government attributed the death to a group of rogue operatives.[^19] On November 15, 2018, the [[United States Department of the Treasury]] designated Qahtani, Maher Mutreb, the consul general and 14 other members of what it called an operations team under the Global Magnitsky authorities.[^20] A declassified assessment of the [[Office of the Director of National Intelligence]] dated February 11, 2021 stated that the Crown Prince had had "absolute control of the Kingdom's security and intelligence organizations" since 2017.[^21] + +### Rapid Intervention Force + +The ODNI assessment wrote that the team that arrived in Istanbul on October 2, 2018 included seven members of the Crown Prince's personal protective detail, the Rapid Intervention Force, which it described as a subset of the Saudi Royal Guard that "answers only to him," and officials of the Center for Studies and Media Affairs at the Royal Court, led by Qahtani.[^21] On February 26, 2021, [[Office of Foreign Assets Control]] added the Rapid Intervention Force (also listed as the Saudi Rapid Intervention Group and "Tiger Squad"; organization established date 2015; linked to Qahtani) and Asiri to its Specially Designated Nationals list; the Treasury action title described Asiri as the former deputy head of the General Intelligence Presidency.[^22] + +### Personnel + +Prince [[Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]], later a Ministry of Interior brigadier general, was posted to the Saudi General Intelligence agency to join its special operations section after service with the Riyadh provincial police, before he moved to the General Directorate of Public Security. The posting is undated.[^23] On October 13, 2026, [[Scott Stedman]] wrote on X that [[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]] "appears to be the son of Brigadier General Prince Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud, who previously served in the special operations section of Saudi Arabia's General Intelligence Agency."[^24] + +### Footnotes + +[^1]: Saudipedia, "General Intelligence Presidency," February 24, 2021. https://saudipedia.com/en/article/700/government-and-politics/security-and-defense/general-intelligence-presidency +[^2]: "Prince Nawaf new intelligence chief," Arab News, September 1, 2001. https://www.arabnews.com/node/214954 +[^3]: Joseph A. Kechichian, "The man behind the scenes: Kamal Adham served rulers of Saudi Arabia with distinction," Gulf News, February 12, 2010. https://gulfnews.com/uae/the-man-behind-the-scenes-1.581564 +[^4]: U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, The BCCI Affair (1992), "Abu Dhabi: BCCI's Founding and Majority Shareholders." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/14abudhabi.htm +[^5]: U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, The BCCI Affair (1992), "BCCI, the CIA and Foreign Intelligence." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/11intel.htm +[^6]: Alexandre de Marenches and David A. Andelman, The Fourth World War: Diplomacy and Espionage in the Age of Terrorism (New York: William Morrow, 1992); Joseph J. Trento, Prelude to Terror (New York: Carroll and Graf, 2005), pp. 52-108. +[^7]: Simon Henderson, "The Saudis: Friend or Foe?", Washington Institute for Near East Policy, October 22, 2001. https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/saudis-friend-or-foe +[^8]: "Saudi intelligence chief relieved of post," Al Jazeera (Reuters), January 26, 2005. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2005/1/26/saudi-intelligence-chief-relieved-of-post +[^9]: "Saudi Arabia names intelligence chief," Al Jazeera (Reuters), October 22, 2005. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2005/10/22/saudi-arabia-names-intelligence-chief +[^10]: "Saudi king names ex-U.S. envoy as intelligence chief," CNN, July 19, 2012. https://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/19/world/meast/saudi-arabia-intelligence-chief +[^11]: "Saudi Arabia replaces intelligence chief," Al Jazeera, April 16, 2014. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2014/4/16/saudi-arabia-replaces-intelligence-chief +[^12]: Joseph A. Kechichian, "Misreading Saudi policies: the Saudi king's pick of Al Idrissi reveals key points," Gulf News, April 23, 2014. https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/misreading-saudi-policies-1.1323480 +[^13]: "Saudi Arabia names new intelligence chief," Khaleej Times (AP), July 1, 2014. https://khaleejtimes.com/world/saudi-arabia-names-new-intelligence-chief +[^14]: "Saudi King Salman cements hold on power," Al Jazeera (AFP), January 30, 2015. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/1/30/saudi-king-salman-cements-hold-on-power +[^15]: "Saudi intelligence chief visits Baghdad for talks on regional security," Arab News, August 7, 2026. https://www.arabnews.pk/saudi-arabia/saudi-intelligence-chief-visits-baghdad-for-talks-on-regional-security-2653813 +[^16]: "Saudi Arabia says missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead," Arab News, October 20, 2018 (updated October 31, 2018). https://www.arabnews.pk/node/1390736 +[^17]: Hussein Elkabany, "Riyadh takes 'corrective steps' amid row over Khashoggi," Anadolu Agency, October 23, 2018. https://aa.com.tr/en/jamal-khashoggi/riyadh-takes-corrective-steps-amid-row-over-khashoggi/1290909 +[^18]: "Riyadh Reforming Intelligence Service After Khashoggi Murder," Sputnik, December 21, 2018. https://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/library/news/2018/intell-181221-sputnik01.htm +[^19]: "The 15 Saudis who flew to Turkey before Khashoggi's killing," Al Jazeera, November 22, 2018. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/11/22/the-15-saudis-who-flew-to-turkey-before-khashoggis-killing +[^20]: U.S. Department of the Treasury, "Treasury Sanctions 17 Individuals for Their Roles in the Killing of Jamal Khashoggi," November 15, 2018. https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm547 +[^21]: Office of the Director of National Intelligence, "Assessing the Saudi Government's Role in the Killing of Jamal Khashoggi," February 11, 2021 (declassified February 25, 2021). https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Assessment-Saudi-Gov-Role-in-JK-Death-20210226v2.pdf +[^22]: Office of Foreign Assets Control, recent actions of February 26, 2021, "Treasury Sanctions the Saudi Rapid Intervention Force and Former Deputy Head of Saudi Arabia's General Intelligence Presidency for Roles in the Murder of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi." https://ofac.treasury.gov/recent-actions/20210226 +[^23]: Arab News, "Brig. Gen. Prince Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al-Saud, assistant commander for special forces security at Makkah's Grand Mosque," September 23, 2019 (updated September 26, 2019). https://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/brig-gen-prince-bader-bin-saud-bin-mohammed-al-saud-assistant-commander-for-special-forces-security-at-makkahs-grand-mosque-1558696 Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20261013214925/https://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/brig-gen-prince-bader-bin-saud-bin-mohammed-al-saud-assistant-commander-for-special-forces-security-at-makkahs-grand-mosque-1558696 +[^24]: Scott Stedman, post on X, October 13, 2026. https://x.com/i/web/status/2110106692914696402 diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/INTERNATIONAL/Mukhabarat.md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/INTERNATIONAL/Mukhabarat.md index 296915d7..8e433a3f 100644 --- a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/INTERNATIONAL/Mukhabarat.md +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/INTERNATIONAL/Mukhabarat.md @@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ tags: - CIA - ColdWar - MiddleEast -summary: "Mukhabarat (Arabic: intelligence) is the informal name for Arab state intelligence services, most prominently Egypt's General Intelligence Directorate and Iraq's General Intelligence Service under Saddam Hussein, central to CIA liaison relationships, Safari Club operations, and the BNL/arms-to-Iraq affair." +summary: "Mukhabarat is the informal name for Arab intelligence services, mainly Egypt's General Intelligence Directorate, Iraq's General Intelligence Service and Saudi Arabia's General Intelligence Presidency, central to CIA liaison, the Safari Club and the BNL affair." --- Mukhabarat (Arabic: مخابرات, from the root khabara, "to know" or "to be informed") is the common informal designation for intelligence and security services in multiple Arab states, literally meaning "intelligence" or "information." The term is used most frequently in English-language sources to refer to Egypt's General Intelligence Directorate and Iraq's General Intelligence Service, though equivalent security agencies in Syria, Jordan, Libya, Sudan, and other Arab states are also commonly called mukhabarat in both Arabic usage and foreign analysis. Because the term refers to different organizations in different national contexts, the following entries address the two agencies most significant to this vault's subjects. @@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ Egypt's [[Safari Club]] participation from 1976 onward placed the GID within the Under President [[Hosni Mubarak]] (1981-2011), the GID was directed for much of this period by Omar Suleiman, who served as intelligence chief from 1993 until Mubarak's overthrow in February 2011. Suleiman became the CIA's primary Egyptian counterpart for the post-September 11 extraordinary rendition program, in which terrorism suspects were transferred to Egyptian custody for interrogation at Egyptian facilities. At least a dozen individuals rendered by the CIA were taken to Egyptian custody under GID oversight; human rights organizations documented torture and extended detention without charge as standard practices at GID facilities. The rendition of Egyptian cleric [[Abu Omar]] from Milan in 2003 - conducted by CIA officers with Italian SISMI cooperation - was among the most documented cases; 22 CIA officers were subsequently convicted in absentia by Italian courts.[^1] -[[Kamal Adham]], Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief and [[Safari Club]] representative, maintained a relationship with Egyptian intelligence through the shared [[BCCI|Bank of Credit and Commerce International]] network; Egyptian and Saudi intelligence used BCCI as a financial conduit for covert operations funding.[^3] +[[Kamal Adham]], Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief and Safari Club representative, maintained a relationship with Egyptian intelligence through the shared [[BCCI|Bank of Credit and Commerce International]] network; Egyptian and Saudi intelligence used BCCI as a financial conduit for covert operations funding.[^3] ### Iraq: General Intelligence Service @@ -34,9 +34,15 @@ The [[BNL scandal]] - the exposure of the [[Banca Nazionale del Lavoro]]'s [[Atl The Iraqi Mukhabarat was substantially dismantled following the 2003 U.S. invasion and Saddam Hussein's removal from power; its personnel files and operational networks became subjects of significant intelligence collection by U.S. forces in the immediate post-invasion period. +### Saudi Arabia: General Intelligence Presidency + +Saudi Arabia's foreign intelligence service is the [[General Intelligence Presidency]] (Istikhbarat Al Amah), dated to 1956 by the Saudi government encyclopedia and headed from the mid-1960s by Kamal Adham, who was also the CIA's principal contact in the Arab Middle East according to the Senate BCCI report.[^5][^6] + ### Footnotes [^1]: Mayer, Jane. *The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals.* Doubleday, 2008, pp. 100-135. Grey, Stephen. *Ghost Plane: The True Story of the CIA Torture Program.* St. Martin's Press, 2006. [^2]: Trento, Joseph. *Prelude to Terror: The Rogue CIA and the Legacy of America's Private Intelligence Network.* Carroll & Graf, 2005, pp. 52-108. De Marenches, Alexandre, and David Andelman. *The Fourth World War.* Random House, 1992. [^3]: Kerry, Senator John, and Senator Hank Brown. *The BCCI Affair: A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate.* December 1992. [^4]: Friedman, Alan. *Spider's Web: The Secret History of How the White House Illegally Armed Iraq.* Bantam, 1993. Teicher, Howard. Affidavit. *United States v. Carlos Cardoen,* S.D. Fla., January 31, 1995 (declassified - documents Reagan-era CIA intelligence sharing with Iraq). +[^5]: Saudipedia, "General Intelligence Presidency." https://saudipedia.com/en/article/700/government-and-politics/security-and-defense/general-intelligence-presidency +[^6]: U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, The BCCI Affair (1992), "BCCI, the CIA and Foreign Intelligence." https://irp.fas.org/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/11intel.htm diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/INTERNATIONAL/Safari Club.md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/INTERNATIONAL/Safari Club.md index ee089cc4..7195b7dd 100644 --- a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/INTERNATIONAL/Safari Club.md +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/INTERNATIONAL/Safari Club.md @@ -21,23 +21,25 @@ The Safari Club was an informal covert intelligence-sharing and operations netwo ### Formation and Membership -The Safari Club emerged from conversations between de Marenches and Bush following the [[Church Committee]]'s 1975-1976 investigations and the Senate's subsequent restrictions on CIA covert activities. The post-Watergate intelligence environment - which included the firing of CIA Director [[William Colby]], increased congressional oversight, and public scrutiny of assassination plots and domestic surveillance programs - made CIA unilateral operations in the developing world politically dangerous. De Marenches proposed an alternative: a consortium of allied services, each with their own legal authorities, would carry out operations with CIA intelligence and tacit American approval, funded primarily by Saudi petrodollars.[^1] +The Safari Club emerged from conversations between de Marenches and Bush following the Church Committee's 1975-1976 investigations and the Senate's subsequent restrictions on CIA covert activities. The post-Watergate intelligence environment - which included the firing of CIA Director [[William Colby]], increased congressional oversight, and public scrutiny of assassination plots and domestic surveillance programs - made CIA unilateral operations in the developing world politically dangerous. De Marenches proposed an alternative: a consortium of allied services, each with their own legal authorities, would carry out operations with CIA intelligence and tacit American approval, funded primarily by Saudi petrodollars.[^1] The core membership of the Safari Club was: - France's SDECE, represented and organized by de Marenches -- Saudi Arabia's General Intelligence Directorate, represented by Kamal Adham (the Saudi intelligence chief and brother-in-law of King Faisal) and later by his successor Prince Turki al-Faisal +- Saudi Arabia's [[General Intelligence Presidency|General Intelligence Directorate]], represented by [[Kamal Adham]] (the Saudi intelligence chief and brother-in-law of King Faisal) and later by his successor Prince [[Turki al-Faisal]] - Egypt's General Intelligence Service (Mukhabarat), operating under President Anwar Sadat - Morocco's Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire (DST), under General Ahmed Dlimi - Iran's SAVAK (Sazeman-e Ettela'at va Amniyat-e Keshvar), under the Shah +Kamal Adham led the Saudi directorate until 1979, according to Gulf News, when King Khalid replaced him with Turki al-Faisal; Arab News and the Washington Institute give 1977 for Turki's accession.[^2][^3] + The CIA participated as a provider of intelligence products, targeting information, and logistics coordination, with Bush maintaining the relationship through DCI channels. The arrangement exploited the fact that congressional restrictions applied to CIA operations, not to those of allied foreign services.[^1] ### Operations The most extensively documented Safari Club operation was in Angola, where the Club supported Jonas Savimbi's [[UNITA]] movement against the Soviet- and Cuban-backed MPLA government. The Clark Amendment (1976) had prohibited the CIA from providing direct military assistance to factions in the Angolan civil war, but the Safari Club financed UNITA operations through Saudi channels. De Marenches described Angola as "a theater for revolutionary wars prompted and conducted by the Soviet Union." The Club provided an estimated $5 million in funding and logistical support to Savimbi's forces during this period.[^1] -In the Horn of Africa, the Club supported Somalia against the Soviet-backed Ethiopian government during the 1977-1978 Ogaden War, channeling arms and funds to Somali President Siad Barre. Egypt supplied Soviet-compatible weapons that could be denied as American in origin. The operation collapsed when Cuba deployed approximately 15,000 troops to Ethiopia, reversing the Somali military advance.[^2] +In the Horn of Africa, the Club supported Somalia against the Soviet-backed Ethiopian government during the 1977-1978 Ogaden War, channeling arms and funds to Somali President Siad Barre. Egypt supplied Soviet-compatible weapons that could be denied as American in origin. The operation collapsed when Cuba deployed approximately 15,000 troops to Ethiopia, reversing the Somali military advance.[^4] The Club also coordinated intelligence sharing and low-level operations in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, Sudan, and other African theaters where Soviet and Cuban influence was considered a threat. Saudi funding provided the financial infrastructure for multiple simultaneous operations that would have required substantial CIA appropriations to sustain directly.[^1] @@ -45,7 +47,7 @@ The Club also coordinated intelligence sharing and low-level operations in Rhode The Safari Club arrangement exploited a structural feature of American oversight: congressional restrictions applied to the CIA, but not to allied services receiving American intelligence support. Bush maintained the CIA's relationship with the consortium through intelligence-sharing channels, providing targeting data and strategic assessments that guided the allied operations. The operational work was then conducted by the allied services, keeping American fingerprints off the direct conduct of operations.[^1] -The arrangement also had internal CIA consequences. CIA officers who had been forced out in the post-Watergate restructuring - including Ted Shackley, Tom Clines, and others associated with [[William Colby]]'s predecessor Richard Helms - found employment and operational roles in the networks that supported Safari Club operations, operating through private channels with Saudi or other national funding. This created a persistent covert network operating outside CIA's formal chain of command.[^2] +The arrangement also had internal CIA consequences. CIA officers who had been forced out in the post-Watergate restructuring - including Ted Shackley, Tom Clines, and others associated with William Colby's predecessor Richard Helms - found employment and operational roles in the networks that supported Safari Club operations, operating through private channels with Saudi or other national funding. This created a persistent covert network operating outside CIA's formal chain of command.[^4] ### Collapse @@ -58,4 +60,6 @@ The Safari Club demonstrated that the constraints imposed on CIA by the Church C ### Footnotes [^1]: Trento, Joseph. *Prelude to Terror: The Rogue CIA and the Legacy of America's Private Intelligence Network*. Carroll & Graf, 2005, pp. 52-108. De Marenches, Alexandre, and David Andelman. *The Fourth World War: Diplomacy and Espionage in the Age of Terrorism*. Random House, 1992. -[^2]: Weiner, Tim. *Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA*. Doubleday, 2007, pp. 353-364. Stockwell, John. *In Search of Enemies: A CIA Story*. W.W. Norton, 1978 (on Angola operations and CIA's role in the period). +[^2]: Joseph A. Kechichian, "The man behind the scenes," Gulf News, February 12, 2010. https://gulfnews.com/uae/the-man-behind-the-scenes-1.581564 +[^3]: Simon Henderson, "The Saudis: Friend or Foe?", Washington Institute for Near East Policy, October 22, 2001. https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/saudis-friend-or-foe +[^4]: Weiner, Tim. *Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA*. Doubleday, 2007, pp. 353-364. Stockwell, John. *In Search of Enemies: A CIA Story*. W.W. Norton, 1978 (on Angola operations and CIA's role in the period). diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/INTERNATIONAL/Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones.md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/INTERNATIONAL/Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..5e23b57d --- /dev/null +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/GOVERNMENT/INTERNATIONAL/Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones.md @@ -0,0 +1,145 @@ +--- +aliases: + - Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones + - Saudi Federation for Cyber Security and Programming + - Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones + - SAFCSP + - SFCPD + - الاتحاد السعودي للأمن السيبراني والبرمجة والدرونز +category: "Foreign Government" +tags: + - Organization + - SaudiArabia + - Cybersecurity + - Hackathons + - Drones + - Homathon + - SaudAlQahtani + - Khashoggi +summary: "Saudi national institution founded in 2017 under the Saudi Olympic Committee, chaired in 2018 by royal court adviser Saud al-Qahtani, that later ran the Homathon, Hajj Hackathon and Tuwaiq bootcamps." +location: "Riyadh, Saudi Arabia" +created: 2026-10-13 +updated: 2026-10-13 +relations: + - type: director_of + with: "[[Saud al-Qahtani]]" + role: "chairman of the board of directors" + start: 2018-04 + fn: 3 + reverse: true + - type: director_of + with: "[[Abdullah Sharaf Alghamdi]]" + role: "chairman of the board of directors" + start: 2019-02 + end: 2019-09 + fn: 5 + reverse: true + - type: director_of + with: "[[Faisal bin Saud Al-Khamisi]]" + role: "chairman of the board of directors" + start: 2019-09 + fn: 4 + reverse: true + - type: head_of + with: "[[Muteb Alqany]]" + role: "chief executive officer" + start: 2019-02 + fn: 5 + reverse: true + - type: director_of + with: "[[Deemah Alyahya]]" + role: "board member" + start: 2019-02 + fn: 5 + reverse: true +--- + +The Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones (SAFCSP) is a Saudi national institution whose stated aim is to "empower the local workforce and enhance their capabilities" in cybersecurity, software development, drones and advanced technologies.[^1] A 2018 version of its English homepage described it as "under the umbrella of the [[Saudi Olympic Committee|Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee]]" and based in [[Riyadh]].[^2] Its founding is dated to late 2017 in a 2018 [[Arab News]] report.[^3] + +### Founding and the 2018 Chairmanship + +The federation's 2018 homepage listed among its purposes "Establishing and organizing competitions and encouraging the spirit of competition," and the supporting of young people in "local or global competitions specialized in cyber security and programming."[^2] + +On April 15, 2018, Arab News reported a memorandum of understanding between the federation (named in that article as the Saudi Federation for Cyber Security and Programming) and [[Saudi Telecom Company]] (STC). The article identified the signatory side by quoting "Adviser at the Royal Court, chairman of the board of directors, SAFCSP, Saud bin Abdullah Al-Qahtani" on the agreement's effect for the federation.[^3] The same year Arab News described [[Saud al-Qahtani]] as "Royal Court advisor and head of the Saudi Federation for Cyber Security, Programming and Drones" when reporting the federation's Guinness record for a Hajj hackathon, dated August 2, 2018.[^4] + +### Removal of Saud al-Qahtani + +On October 20, 2018, Saudi state media reported that Qahtani had been fired as a royal court adviser. [[Al Jazeera]] wrote that "Saud al-Qahtani was fired as Saudi Arabia's royal court adviser on Saturday, Saudi state media reported," and linked the announcement to the official investigation into the killing of [[Jamal Khashoggi]] in the Saudi consulate in [[Istanbul]].[^5] Arabic-language outlets reported the same day that a royal order issued by [[Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud]] relieved Qahtani, as royal court adviser, and [[Ahmed Asiri]], deputy of the [[General Intelligence Presidency]], from their posts.[^6][^7] + +A Bloomberg report dated October 24, 2018 carried the headline "Fired Saudi Royal Court Adviser Drops All Titles in Twitter Bio," which described Qahtani as having removed references to his titles from his public profile a week after his dismissal.[^8] On the day of the dismissal Qahtani posted on Twitter that he thanked the Saudi government for "the great opportunity they gave me to serve my country all those years."[^5] + +The [[United Nations]] Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, [[Agnes Callamard]], wrote in her June 2019 report that "The firing of Saud Alqahtani reflects some acknowledgement by the Government of Saudi Arabia of his involvement and responsibility. His criminal responsibility should be investigated further."[^9] + +### Board and Management, 2019 to 2022 + +The recorded sequence of chairmen is Qahtani (April 2018, with the royal court title in the Arab News report), [[Abdullah Sharaf Alghamdi]] (listed on the board pages captured February and March 2019, and listed as president of SDAIA on the Homathon speaker page of 2020) and [[Faisal bin Saud Al-Khamisi]] (chairman since September 2019 according to Arab News). + +The federation's Arabic and English board pages, captured in February and March 2019, list Abdullah Sharaf Alghamdi as chairman and Faisal bin Saud Al-Khamisi as managing director. The members listed include [[Ahmed Altheneyan]], identified as deputy minister for technology industry and digital capacities; [[Yasser Alswailem]], general manager of cybersecurity at STC; [[Khalid Alharbi]], chief information security officer of [[Saudi Aramco]]; [[Mohammed Bamaga]], executive vice president and chief information officer of [[Saudia]]; [[Deemah Alyahya]], identified as adviser and executive director of the [[Misk Innovation]] initiative; and [[Ahmad Alsharqi]], chief sector development officer of the [[General Entertainment Authority]]. The chief executive officer on the same page is [[Muteb Alqany]].[^10][^11] + +An Arab News profile of Al-Khamisi states that he "has been chairman of the board of directors of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones (SAFCSP) since September 2019."[^4] + +The federation's 2020 Homathon speaker page lists Alqany as chief executive, Alyahya as a board member, and the president of the [[Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority]] (SDAIA), Abdullah bin Sharaf Alghamdi, among the speakers.[^12][^13] + +A September 2021 capture of the federation's About page lists Al-Khamisi as chairman and Alqany as CEO. Its board list adds [[Mohammed Albelwe]], identified as chief marketing officer of SDAIA, and Alyahya, identified as secretary-general of the [[Digital Cooperation Organization]].[^14] + +In October 2022 Arab News reported that Al-Khamisi, chairman of the board, praised the winners of the [[Tuwaiq Drone Challenge]]. The article transliterates the chief executive's name as "Mutaib Al-Quni."[^15] + +### Programs + +#### Hajj Hackathon + +Arab News reported on August 2, 2018 that the kingdom had entered the Guinness Book of Records for "the largest Hajj Hackathon for cyber security, programming and drones," an event run by the federation.[^4] A 2021 capture of the federation's portfolio page lists the Hajj Hackathon with 2,950 participants from 51 countries and 48 training hours, and gives its site as hajjhackathon.sa.[^14] + +#### Homathon + +The federation launched the Homathon, an online hackathon with a registration period from April 14 to 18, 2020 and an event period from April 19 to 25, 2020.[^16] The total prize pool was $85,000, with $50,000 for first place, $25,000 for second and $15,000 for third. The launch coverage says the judges were "international arbitrators from the world's major technical companies" and names no individual judges.[^16] The federation's 2021 portfolio lists the event as held on April 19, 2020 with more than 10,000 contestants.[^14] The Homathon's English homepage lists tracks for health, remote work, entertainment, commerce, eGovernment, fintech, logistics and edtech. Its guests include the chief executive of [[STC Group]] and a regional manager of [[Seedstars]].[^13] + +An [[Alfaisal University]] news item of November 2, 2020 states that the Homathon was "set up by the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones in collaboration with the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority."[^17] The same Alfaisal item reports that a team of two engineering alumnae placed third with a project called "Raqeeb," described as a smart inventory and supply chain system.[^17] + +#### AI Artathon + +The federation's 2021 portfolio lists an AI Artathon held on January 23, 2020, with 300 contestants from 50 countries competing in creating visual art with artificial intelligence and total prizes of 1,000,000 SAR.[^14] + +#### Tuwaiq Bootcamps and Platforms + +The federation's sites use the Tuwaiq name for a set of bootcamps: the Tuwaiq Programming Bootcamp (linked to satr.codes), the Tuwaiq Cybersecurity Bootcamp (cybersecurity.sa/tuwaiq), the Tuwaiq Data Scientists Bootcamp (bootcamp.sa/data), the 7/7 Bootcamp (bootcamp.sa/77) and the Tuwaiq Youth Bootcamp.[^14] The Youth Bootcamp description states an aim to "train 1000 trainee during 2019."[^14] The 2021 navigation lists the Satr e-Learning Platform, a Bug Bounty Platform, CyberHub and CoderHub as separate initiatives.[^14] + +#### Tuwaiq Academy + +Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University describes Tuwaiq Academy as "launched in August 2019" through a strategic alliance between the federation and the university, offering bootcamps and certifications across programming, cloud computing, cybersecurity, drones, artificial intelligence, digital fabrication, virtual worlds, data science, quantum computing and UI/UX. The university's page, bearing a 2026 footer when retrieved in October 2026, gives the academy's figures as more than 800,000 registered learners, more than 9,500 certified graduates, more than 500 bootcamps and more than 60 global partnerships.[^18] The Tuwaiq name is the one the federation's 2019 and 2021 pages applied to its bootcamps.[^14] + +#### Drones + +The federation's drone work includes the Tuwaiq Drone Challenge. Arab News reported in October 2022 that "The Saudi Federation for Cyber Security and Programming, in collaboration with the German Dronemasters Academy, which has a wealth of drone-related experience, oversaw the challenge's planning and execution."[^15] + +### Mentions in United States and United Nations Records + +The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Qahtani on November 15, 2018 under Executive Order 13818, which "builds upon and implements the [[Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act]]." The press release describes him as "a senior official of the Government of Saudi Arabia who was part of the planning and execution of the operation that led to the killing of Mr. Khashoggi."[^19] + +The UN report by Callamard, A/HRC/41/CRP.1, annexed to the Special Rapporteur's June 19, 2019 report, describes Qahtani as "responsible for social media communications for the Crown Prince" and records that "There is credible evidence that he personally directed a campaign targeting activists and political opponents."[^9] The report states "No conclusion is made as to guilt" regarding him and [[Mohammed bin Salman]].[^9] + +Later reporting describes Qahtani as the federation's former leader. A summary of the analysis of [[Jeff Bezos]]'s iPhone by [[FTI Consulting]], reprinted on the website of Senator [[Chris Murphy]], states that the analysis found the device "had been compromised by cybersecurity tools linked to Saud al Qahtani, a close friend of bin Salman and the former president and chairman of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones."[^20] A UN statement of January 22, 2020, reported by [[CNBC]], said that FTI reported "with medium to high confidence" that the phone was compromised by malware sent from a WhatsApp account used by Mohammed bin Salman.[^21] + +### Footnotes + +[^1]: Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, "About," English page, captured September 28, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210928040840/https://safcsp.org.sa/en/about-us (live URL https://safcsp.org.sa/en/about-us) +[^2]: Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, English homepage, captured July 11, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180711041742/https://safcsp.org.sa/en +[^3]: Arab News, "Saudi Federation for Cyber Security and Programming signs MoU with STC," April 15, 2018. https://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/saudi-federation-for-cyber-security-and-programming-signs-mou-with-stc-1285341 ; the founding date "late 2017" is from Arab News, "Cyber Tent" feature, undated. https://www.arabnews.pk/node/1314756 +[^4]: Arab News, "Saudi-based Hajj Hackathon makes it to the Guinness Book of Records," August 2, 2018. https://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/saudi-based-hajj-hackathon-makes-it-to-the-guinness-book-of-records-1350066 ; Arab News profile, "Faisal bin Saud Al-Khamisi, chairman of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones," undated. https://arabnews.com/node/1786391 +[^5]: Al Jazeera, "Who is Saud al-Qahtani, the fired Saudi royal court adviser?," October 20, 2018. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/saud-al-qahtani-fired-saudi-royal-court-adviser-181020125449478.html +[^6]: Slaati.com, Arabic report, "أول تعليق من سعود القحطاني بعد قرار إعفاءه" (Saud al-Qahtani's first comment after the decision to relieve him), October 20, 2018. https://slaati.com/2018/10/20/p1217889.html (English gloss of title) +[^7]: Al Mowaten, Arabic report, "الملك يعفي نائب رئيس الاستخبارات أحمد" (the king relieves the deputy intelligence chief Ahmed), October 2018. https://www.almowaten.net/2018/10/الملك-يعفي-نائب-رئيس-الاستخبارات-أحمد/ (English gloss of title) +[^8]: BloombergQuint, "Fired Saudi Royal Court Adviser Drops All Titles in Twitter Bio," October 24, 2018. https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/fired-saudi-royal-court-adviser-drops-all-titles-in-twitter-bio ; copy at https://web.archive.org/web/2018id_/https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/fired-saudi-royal-court-adviser-drops-all-titles-in-twitter-bio +[^9]: United Nations, Human Rights Council, A/HRC/41/CRP.1, "Investigation into the unlawful death of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi," annex to the report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions (Agnes Callamard), June 19, 2019, paragraphs 250, 253, 254(g). https://www.ohchr.org/en/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session41/Documents/A_HRC_41_CRP.1.pdf +[^10]: Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, Board of Directors, English page, captured March 6, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190306044941/http://safcsp.org.sa/en/Home/Board.html +[^11]: Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, Arabic board page, captured February 14, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190214120254/https://safcsp.org.sa/ar/Home/Board.html ; Tuwaiq Youth Bootcamp description, portfolio page, captured September 28, 2021 (see note 14). +[^12]: Homathon, English speakers page, captured October 28, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201028164951/https://homathon.com/en/speakers +[^13]: Homathon, English homepage, captured May 6, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200506171154/https://homathon.com/en/ +[^14]: Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, Portfolio and About pages, captured September 28, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210928040749/https://safcsp.org.sa/en/portfolio ; https://web.archive.org/web/20210928040840/https://safcsp.org.sa/en/about-us +[^15]: Arab News, "Tuwaiq Drone Challenge hosts battle for innovative solutions," October 2022. https://www.arabnews.com/node/2177326 +[^16]: Ajel (English), "SAFCSP launches Homathon Challenge Contest," undated, covering the launch in mid-April 2020. https://english.ajel.sa/news/safcsp-launches-homathon-challenge-contest +[^17]: Alfaisal University, "Two College of Engineering Alumnae Win the 3rd Place in SAFCSP Homathon," November 2, 2020. https://news.alfaisal.edu/?p=3573 +[^18]: Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Endowments Company, "Tuwaiq Academy," English page, retrieved October 13, 2026. https://pnu.edu.sa/en/Departments/Endowments/Pages/TuwaiqAcademy.aspx +[^19]: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Press Release sm547, "Treasury Sanctions 17 Individuals for Their Roles in the Killing of Jamal Khashoggi," November 15, 2018. https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm547 +[^20]: Office of Senator Chris Murphy, "In the News," reprinting a report on the FTI Consulting analysis of Jeff Bezos's iPhone, undated (2020). https://murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/in-the-news/democratic-senator-asks-intelligence-agencies-to-open-probe-into-bezos-phone-hack ; the quoted sentence on Qahtani's federation title. +[^21]: CNBC, "Bezos phone hacking: UN calls for immediate investigation," January 22, 2020. Copy: https://web.archive.org/web/2020id_/https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/22/bezos-phone-hacking-un-calls-for-immediate-investigation.html diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Andreessen Horowitz.md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Andreessen Horowitz.md index 8a93ad53..0448eb30 100644 --- a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Andreessen Horowitz.md +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Andreessen Horowitz.md @@ -36,8 +36,30 @@ relations: start: 2023-05 role: "co-investor, Series C; co-lead, 2025 token sale" fn: 6 + - type: funded + with: "[[Nash (company)]]" + start: 2021-09 + role: "seed investor, fall 2021; co-founders Mahmoud Ghulman and Aziz Alghunaim" + fn: 13 + - type: funded + with: "[[Nash (company)]]" + start: 2022-07 + role: "led Series A, announced July 26, 2022" + fn: 13 + - type: funded + with: "[[Sanabil Investments]]" + reverse: true + start: 2026-01 + role: "Sanabil, the venture arm of the Public Investment Fund, lists the firm among its holdings, per TechCrunch January 2026" + fn: 10 + - type: funded + with: "[[MGX]]" + reverse: true + start: 2026-03 + role: "co-lead, per Bloomberg, of a roughly 10 billion dollar OpenAI financing announced for close the following week; see OpenAI page" + fn: 11 created: 2026-09-22 -updated: 2026-09-22 +updated: 2026-10-13 --- Andreessen Horowitz, known as a16z, is a venture capital firm founded in 2009 by [[Marc Andreessen]], co-founder of [[Netscape]], and [[Ben Horowitz]]. It invests in consumer software, cryptocurrency, biotechnology and, through its "American Dynamism" practice, defense and national-security technology, the category that also anchors [[Founders Fund]] and [[Palantir Technologies]]. In March 2019 the firm gave up its venture-capital registration and registered with the [[Securities and Exchange Commission]] as an investment adviser, freeing it from the rule that limits venture funds to about twenty percent of holdings in liquid securities and allowing it to buy crypto tokens, public stocks and secondary shares. In April 2024 it raised 7.2 billion dollars across five funds, including a 3.75 billion dollar growth fund and a 600 million dollar American Dynamism fund, and by January 2026 it had raised more than 15 billion dollars in a single round, taking its assets under management above 90 billion dollars.[^1][^2] @@ -50,6 +72,24 @@ Andreessen and Horowitz endorsed [[Donald Trump]] in July 2024 on their podcast, The firm led the seed round of about 2 billion dollars, at a 12 billion dollar valuation, of [[Mira Murati]]'s [[Thinking Machines Lab]] in July 2025, alongside Nvidia, Accel, ServiceNow, Cisco, AMD and [[Jane Street Capital|Jane Street]].[^4] It invested in [[Ilya Sutskever]]'s [[Safe Superintelligence]] in its round of September 2024 at a 5 billion dollar valuation and in April 2025 at 32 billion.[^5] Its crypto fund joined the 115 million dollar Series C of [[Sam Altman]]'s [[Worldcoin]] in May 2023 and co-led its 135 million dollar token sale in May 2025.[^6] Andreessen's "Techno-Optimist Manifesto," published by the firm on October 16, 2023, listed "existential risk," "trust and safety" and "tech ethics" among its enemies and named the neoreactionary [[Nick Land]] among its "patron saints."[^7] +### Saudi Arabia and the Gulf + +In 2016 the firm and Founders Fund sold shares in [[Lyft]] to Saudi Arabia's [[Alwaleed bin Talal]] and his [[Kingdom Holding]], according to TechCrunch.[^8] In 2017 Marc Andreessen agreed to join the advisory board of [[NEOM]], the project led by Crown Prince [[Mohammed bin Salman]].[^8] + +In October 2022 Ben Horowitz spoke at the "Davos in the Desert" investment conference in Saudi Arabia, and in 2023 the firm's 350 million dollar investment in [[Flow]] was discussed at a conference organized by a nonprofit backed by one of Saudi Arabia's largest sovereign funds.[^8] TechCrunch wrote in April 2023 that the firm "has never made public who its limited partners are," and that it had reached out to the firm with questions and had not received a reply.[^8] + +On March 20, 2024 CNBC reported that Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, the [[Public Investment Fund]], was in talks with the firm. Two people with knowledge of the matter told CNBC that the talks would see "a partnership formed between Saudi Arabia's $925 billion Public Investment Fund and Andreessen Horowitz," and that "talks have not yet been finalized." The reported vehicle was an AI fund of about 40 billion dollars.[^9] + +TechCrunch reported on January 9, 2026 that a16z had raised "a little more than $15 billion" in new funding, bringing its assets under management to more than $90 billion. The article states that "Sanabil Investments, the venture arm of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, lists Andreessen Horowitz among its portfolio holdings," and that the firm "appears to be very friendly with actual sovereign wealth funds, including at least one from Saudi Arabia."[^10] + +In March 2026 the company told Bloomberg that the firm would co-lead a roughly 10 billion dollar financing for [[OpenAI]], alongside [[MGX]], [[D.E. Shaw Ventures]], [[TPG]] and T. Rowe Price.[^11] + +Dealroom's October 2026 item on the [[Echelon (company)]] round, which names Ben Horowitz among the early backers, describes the founder, [[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]], as an adviser to Andreessen Horowitz.[^12] + +### Nash and Early Portfolio Ties + +In the fall of 2021 the firm made the seed investment in [[Nash (company)]], a company founded by [[Mahmoud Ghulman]] and [[Aziz Alghunaim]]. On July 26, 2022 the firm announced that it was leading Nash's Series A. The announcement reads: "We first partnered with Nash for their seed round in the fall of 2021," and "We're excited to announce that a16z is leading the Series A for Nash."[^13] + ### Footnotes [^1]: Andreessen Horowitz, firm history. https://a16z.com/ @@ -59,3 +99,9 @@ The firm led the seed round of about 2 billion dollars, at a 12 billion dollar v [^5]: "AI's Big Day: Startup Safe Superintelligence Raises $1B At Reported $5B Valuation." *Crunchbase News,* September 4, 2024, https://news.crunchbase.com/ai/startup-safe-superintelligence-unicorn-raise/ ; "OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever's Safe Superintelligence reportedly valued at $32B." *TechCrunch,* April 12, 2025. [^6]: "Sam Altman's crypto project Worldcoin raises $115M led by Blockchain Capital." *CoinDesk,* May 25, 2023; "World raises $135M." World blog, May 21, 2025. [^7]: Andreessen, Marc. "The Techno-Optimist Manifesto." Andreessen Horowitz, October 16, 2023. https://a16z.com/the-techno-optimist-manifesto/ +[^8]: Loizos, Connie, "Andreessen Horowitz is now openly courting capital from Saudi Arabia, despite U.S. strains," *TechCrunch*, April 1, 2023: on the 2016 Lyft share sale to "Saudi Arabia's Prince al-Waleed bin Talal and his Kingdom Holding"; "In 2017, Andreessen also joined forces with the prince's first cousin, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ('MBS'), agreeing to join the advisory board of MBS' ambitious project, Neom"; "Though the 14-year-old outfit has never made public who its limited partners are"; and the "We reached out to Andreessen Horowitz with related questions this morning and have yet to hear back." https://techcrunch.com/2023/04/01/andreessen-horowitz-is-now-openly-courting-capital-from-saudi-arabia-despite-u-s-strains/ +[^9]: Turak, Natasha, "Saudi Arabia reportedly in talks with VC firms like Andreessen Horowitz to create mammoth $40 billion AI fund," *CNBC*, March 20, 2024: "would see a partnership formed between Saudi Arabia's $925 billion Public Investment Fund and Andreessen Horowitz"; "The people stressed that talks have not yet been finalized." https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/20/saudi-arabia-in-talks-with-andreessen-horowitz-to-create-ai-fund.html +[^10]: Loizos, Connie, "The venture firm that ate Silicon Valley," *TechCrunch*, January 9, 2026: "a little more than $15 billion" in new funding and "more than $90 billion" in assets under management; "Sanabil Investments, the venture arm of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, lists Andreessen Horowitz among its portfolio holdings"; "a16z appears to be very friendly with actual sovereign wealth funds, including at least one from Saudi Arabia." https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/09/the-venture-firm-that-ate-silicon-valley +[^11]: Bloomberg, "OpenAI Set to Raise $10 Billion From MGX, Coatue, Thrive," March 24, 2026, as reproduced by Bloomberg Government: "Andreessen Horowitz, Abu Dhabi's MGX, D.E. Shaw Ventures, TPG and T. Rowe Price will co-lead the financing, which is set to close next week, the company told Bloomberg Tuesday." https://news.bgov.com/california-brief/openai-set-to-raise-10-billion-from-mgx-coatue-thrive-2 +[^12]: Dealroom, news item on the Echelon launch, October 8, 2026: "Its early backers include East40, RAED Ventures, Avra, and Ben Horowitz"; the item lists the founder's roles as "a venture partner at RAED Ventures and an adviser to Andreessen Horowitz." https://dealroom.co/news/160932-saudi-ai-company-echelon-launches-with-backing-from-ben-horowitz-avra-an/ +[^13]: Andreessen Horowitz, "Investing in Nash," posted July 26, 2022: "We first partnered with Nash for their seed round in the fall of 2021"; "We're excited to announce that a16z is leading the Series A for Nash"; the post welcomes "Mahmoud, Aziz, and the Nash team." https://a16z.com/announcement/investing-in-nash/ diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Anduril Industries.md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Anduril Industries.md index b3a1041e..186fdfb7 100644 --- a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Anduril Industries.md +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Anduril Industries.md @@ -15,7 +15,13 @@ tags: summary: "Anduril Industries is a defense-technology contractor founded in 2017 by Palmer Luckey and Palantir Technologies alumni Brian Schimpf, Trae Stephens, Matt Grimm, and Joe Chen, backed by Founders Fund, that builds the Lattice autonomous-systems platform and autonomous hardware for the Pentagon and allied militaries, and was valued at 30.5 billion dollars in its 2025 Series G round." location: "Costa Mesa, California (headquarters)" created: 2026-06-17 -updated: 2026-06-17 +updated: 2026-10-13 +relations: + - type: partner_of + with: "[[OpenAI]]" + start: 2024-12-04 + role: "counter-drone partnership announced December 4, 2024" + fn: 8 --- Anduril Industries is an American defense-technology contractor founded in 2017 by [[Palmer Luckey]] and a group of [[Palantir Technologies]] alumni including [[Brian Schimpf]], [[Trae Stephens]], [[Matt Grimm]], and [[Joe Chen]]. The company builds the [[Lattice (software platform)|Lattice]] software platform for fusing sensor data from autonomous systems into a single operating picture, and a range of autonomous hardware including the [[Ghost (drone)|Ghost]] and [[Altius (drone)|Altius]] unmanned aerial systems, the [[Fury (drone)|Fury]] autonomous fighter, the [[Dive-LD]] autonomous undersea vehicle, and the [[Sentry Tower]] ground-surveillance system. The company was valued at 30.5 billion dollars in a Series G funding round led by [[Founders Fund]] in 2025.[^1][^2] @@ -38,6 +44,12 @@ The Lattice software platform is built to fuse data from the company's own hardw Traditional defense procurement separates the platform (the aircraft, the vehicle, the sensor) from the software that operates it, with the Pentagon buying each from different vendors on separate contracts. Anduril bundles the hardware, the software, and the data fusion into a single vendor, which lets the company iterate the whole stack on commercial rather than defense-cycle timelines. The Replicator initiative, the Pentagon program to field thousands of low-cost autonomous systems, has been the principal public instance of this procurement model applied to Anduril hardware.[^1][^7] +### OpenAI Counter-Drone Partnership (2024) + +On December 4, 2024 Anduril announced that it would partner with [[OpenAI]] to apply OpenAI's models to counter-drone systems. Anduril said that the models "will help protect U.S. and allied military personnel and ensure mission success." The companies described the goal as reducing the burden on human operators and improving situational awareness.[^8] + +The same article reports a separate award: the [[Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office]] had awarded Anduril a 100 million dollar contract to increase production of its Lattice Mesh networking capability.[^9] + ### Pentagon and Allied Contracts Anduril's public contract record includes the [[Special Operations Command]] contracts for Ghost drones, the [[Marine Corps]] and [[United Kingdom|UK]] [[Ministry of Defence]] contracts for Altius loitering munitions, and the participation in the Replicator initiative. The [[Ukraine]] war has been the largest operational test of the underlying thesis: Anduril and competitor autonomous systems have been used extensively by Ukrainian forces against Russian targets, and the company has publicly supplied systems to Ukraine outside the formal U.S. foreign-military-sales process.[^1][^7] @@ -46,9 +58,9 @@ The Ukraine deployment fed back into the product development cycle at a pace the ### Customs and Border Protection and the Sentry Tower Program -[[U.S. Customs and Border Protection|CBP]] has deployed over 350 Sentry Towers along the U.S. southern border, covering approximately 30 percent of the southwest land border. The towers are self-powered, autonomous surveillance structures equipped with optical, thermal, and radar sensors integrated through the Lattice platform, autonomously detecting, classifying, and tracking objects of interest. CBP expanded the program under a 363 million dollar contract for 200 additional Extended Range Sentry Towers (XRST), 80-foot expeditionary structures with extended sensor range. The [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] reported in April 2026 on opposition from a 62,000-resident California coastal community where an Anduril tower was slated for installation.[^8] +[[U.S. Customs and Border Protection|CBP]] has deployed over 350 Sentry Towers along the U.S. southern border, covering approximately 30 percent of the southwest land border. The towers are self-powered, autonomous surveillance structures equipped with optical, thermal, and radar sensors integrated through the Lattice platform, autonomously detecting, classifying, and tracking objects of interest. CBP expanded the program under a 363 million dollar contract for 200 additional Extended Range Sentry Towers (XRST), 80-foot expeditionary structures with extended sensor range. The [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] reported in April 2026 on opposition from a 62,000-resident California coastal community where an Anduril tower was slated for installation.[^10] -The Sentry Tower program is the physical-surveillance layer of the border-enforcement pipeline that the Thiel-network firms supply. Palantir Technologies provides the back-end data integration, case management, and neighborhood-targeting through FALCON, ICM, ImmigrationOS, and the ELITE app. [[Clearview AI]] provides the facial-recognition identification from the surveillance imagery. The documented combination of Anduril (detection), Palantir (case management), and Clearview (facial identification) runs across the enforcement pipeline from border crossing through detention and deportation.[^8] +The Sentry Tower program is the physical-surveillance layer of the border-enforcement pipeline that the Thiel-network firms supply. Palantir Technologies provides the back-end data integration, case management, and neighborhood-targeting through FALCON, ICM, ImmigrationOS, and the ELITE app. [[Clearview AI]] provides the facial-recognition identification from the surveillance imagery. The documented combination of Anduril (detection), Palantir (case management), and Clearview (facial identification) runs across the enforcement pipeline from border crossing through detention and deportation.[^10] ### Footnotes @@ -59,4 +71,6 @@ The Sentry Tower program is the physical-surveillance layer of the border-enforc [^5]: Founders Fund. "Anduril" company page. https://foundersfund.com/company/anduril/ [^6]: "Trae Stephens." *Forbes.* https://www.forbes.com/profile/trae-stephens/ [^7]: For the Replicator initiative, Ukraine deployments, and the Pentagon autonomous-systems procurement record, see Department of Defense announcements and contemporaneous reporting in *Defense One* and *Politico*. -[^8]: "Anduril Wins $363M CBP Contract for XR Sentry Towers." *Tectonic Defense.* https://www.tectonic-defense.com/anduril-wins-363m-cbp-contract-for-xr-sentry-towers/ ; "Anduril Surveillance Towers." *U.S. Customs and Border Protection.* https://www.cbp.gov/document/foia-record/anduril-surveillance-towers ; "California Coastal Community Must Reject CBP's AI-Powered Surveillance Tower." *EFF,* April 2026. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/04/california-coastal-community-must-reject-cbps-ai-powered-surveillance-tower +[^8]: *Defense News*, "Anduril, OpenAI join to boost counter-drone tech for US bases, troops," December 5, 2024: "Anduril and OpenAI will partner to improve the military's counter-drone capabilities" https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2024/12/05/anduril-openai-join-to-boost-counter-drone-tech-for-us-bases-troops/ +[^9]: Same article, *Defense News*, December 5, 2024: the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office "awarded Anduril a $100 million contract to increase production of its Lattice Mesh networking capability." https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2024/12/05/anduril-openai-join-to-boost-counter-drone-tech-for-us-bases-troops/ +[^10]: "Anduril Wins $363M CBP Contract for XR Sentry Towers." *Tectonic Defense.* https://www.tectonic-defense.com/anduril-wins-363m-cbp-contract-for-xr-sentry-towers/ ; "Anduril Surveillance Towers." *U.S. Customs and Border Protection.* https://www.cbp.gov/document/foia-record/anduril-surveillance-towers ; "California Coastal Community Must Reject CBP's AI-Powered Surveillance Tower." *EFF,* April 2026. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/04/california-coastal-community-must-reject-cbps-ai-powered-surveillance-tower diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/East40 Holding.md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/East40 Holding.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..a6272a83 --- /dev/null +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/East40 Holding.md @@ -0,0 +1,89 @@ +--- +aliases: + - East40 + - East 40 Holding + - East40 Holding +category: "Private Organization" +tags: + - Organization + - EastForty + - FamilyOffice + - InvestmentFirm + - KhalidBinBaderAlSaud + - RaedVentures + - Echelon + - SaudiArabia +summary: "Riyadh private institutional family office set up in 2025 by Khalid bin Bader Al Saud and members of his family, named as an investor in Echelon's October 2026 round." +location: "Riyadh, Saudi Arabia" +created: 2026-10-13 +updated: 2026-10-13 +relations: + - type: founded + with: "[[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]]" + reverse: true + role: "founder, alongside family members" + start: 2025 + fn: 8 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]]" + reverse: true + role: "managing director and vice chairman" + start: 2025 + fn: 2 + - type: funded + with: "[[Echelon (company)]]" + role: "investor in undisclosed round" + start: 2026-10 + fn: 9 +--- + +East40 Holding is a [[Riyadh]] investment firm that describes itself as a private institutional family office, established in 2025. Its managing director and vice chairman is [[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]], who is also a venture partner at [[RAED Ventures]] and the founder of [[Echelon (company)]], and the firm is named as one of the investors in Echelon's round of October 2026.[^1][^2] + +### Description + +The company's website carries the name East40 Holding, the location "Riyadh, [[Saudi Arabia]]," and a page description that reads "Private Institutional Family Office."[^1] + +The company's [[LinkedIn]] page gives its founding year as 2025, its headquarters as Riyadh, its industry as Investment Management and its size as 11 to 50 employees, with 619 followers. The page describes the firm as "a trusted institutional platform stewarding capital and building enduring businesses for a select private family office and its affiliated institutions." It says the firm manages and deploys capital, forges cross-border partnerships, builds multi-asset portfolios and develops long-term platforms.[^3] + +The [[Altss]] family office database lists East40 Holding as a multi-family office based in Riyadh. Its record gives assets under management as "Undisclosed."[^4] + +### Founding and title + +The RAED Ventures team page gives Khalid's title at East40 Holding as "Managing Director and Vice Chairman" and describes the firm as "a private institutional family office established in 2025."[^2] + +RAED's release of February 6, 2025, announcing Khalid as a venture partner, says that he "also serves as the MD & Vice Chairman of his family's private office."[^5] That release is the earliest dated source that names the office; it describes the office as "his family's private office." + +An aggregator profile for Khalid lists "Founder, MD & Vice Chairman" of East40 Holding from 2025.[^6] + +### Titles + +Khalid is styled "H.H. Prince" in RAED's February 2025 release, and [[Security MEA]], reporting the [[Rubrik]] partnership in December 2025, styles him "H.H. Prince Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud, Executive Chairman of Echelon Digital."[^5][^7] + +Echelon's founder's letter, published by the company in October 2026, describes the firm's origin in the first person: "Alongside a few members of my family, I founded East40 to make long-term, high-conviction bets on the sectors that will shape our country's future. AI was one of them, and we wanted to found and operate an AI business from the ground up."[^8] + +### Investments + +East40 is named as an investor in the October 2026 round of Echelon (company). [[Wamda]] reported on October 7, 2026 that Echelon had raised an undisclosed round from East40, RAED Ventures and [[Avra]], "alongside [[Ben Horowitz]] and other investors." [[Dealroom]] carried the same investor list on October 8, 2026 and described Khalid as the founder of East40.[^9][^10] + +The founder's letter says Echelon was "backed early by East40, Raed Ventures and Avra, alongside Ben Horowitz and others."[^8] + +The [[ClearGrid]] about page, where Khalid is listed as co-founder and chairman, says its funding was "co-led by [[Nuwa Capital]] and Raed Ventures," with [[BECO Capital]], [[Saudi Aramco]]'s [[Waed Ventures]] and [[Endeavor]] participating.[^11] + +### Name collisions + +A UK company named EAST40 SOLUTIONS LTD (company 15041539) was incorporated on August 1, 2023, with a registered office in [[Olney]], Buckinghamshire. Its one listed director is a British national born in 1970. It shares only the name with East40 Holding.[^12] + +### Footnotes + +[^1]: East40 Holding, website, https://www.east40holding.com/, captured October 13, 2026 at https://web.archive.org/web/20261013220316/https://www.east40holding.com/. The homepage text reads "East40 Holding," "Riyadh, Saudi Arabia," and carries the page description "Private Institutional Family Office." +[^2]: RAED Ventures, team page, https://raed.vc/ (Wayback capture of October 13, 2026, https://web.archive.org/web/20261013212530/https://raed.vc/). Khalid's entry gives the titles "Managing Director and Vice Chairman" of East40 Holding, "a private institutional family office established in 2025," and "co-founder and chairman" of ClearGrid. +[^3]: East40 Holding, LinkedIn company page, https://www.linkedin.com/company/east40-holding, viewed October 13, 2026. Fields as printed: Founded 2025; Headquarters Riyadh; Industry Investment Management; company size 11-50 employees; 619 followers. +[^4]: Altss, "East40 Holding," multi-family office profile, https://altss.com/profile/east40-holding, record modified August 11, 2026. Fields: organization type "Multi Family Office"; headquarters Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; assets under management "Undisclosed"; website https://east40holding.com/. +[^5]: RAED Ventures, "Raed Ventures Welcomes New Venture Partner, H.H. Prince Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud," release dated February 6, 2025, https://raed.vc/news/raed-ventures-welcomes-new-venture-partner-h-h-prince-khalid-bin-bader-al-saud/ (Wayback capture of March 23, 2025, https://web.archive.org/web/20250323020859/https://raed.vc/news/raed-ventures-welcomes-new-venture-partner-h-h-prince-khalid-bin-bader-al-saud/). The release says: "He also serves as the MD & Vice Chairman of his family's private office." +[^6]: Happenstance, profile of Khalid bin Bader Al Saud, https://happenstance.ai/u/khalid-bin. The profile lists "Founder, MD & Vice Chairman East40 Holding 2025-" among his roles. It matches the title on the RAED team page. +[^7]: Security MEA, "Rubrik Enters Saudi Market in Strategic Partnership with Echelon Digital," December 3, 2025, https://securitymea.com/2025/12/03/rubrik-enters-saudi-market-in-strategic-partnership-with-echelon-digital/. Names "H.H. Prince Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud, Executive Chairman of [[Echelon (company)|Echelon Digital]]." +[^8]: Echelon, founder's letter "Introducing Echelon," Riyadh, October 2026, archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20261013213650/https://www.echelon.inc/ and published at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/introducing-echelon-khalid-bin-bader-al-saud-oycuc/. The letter describes Echelon as "backed early by East40, Raed Ventures and Avra, alongside Ben Horowitz and others." +[^9]: Wamda, "Saudi AI startup Echelon secures backing from East40, RAED Ventures and Avra," October 7, 2026 (Arabic edition, https://www.wamda.com/ar/2026/10/saudi-ai-startup-echelon-secures-backing-east40-raed-ventures-avra; English text at https://www.wamda.com/2026/10/saudi-ai-startup-echelon-secures-backing-east40-raed-ventures-avra). The text reads "alongside Ben Horowitz and other investors." +[^10]: Dealroom, "Saudi AI company Echelon launches with backing from Ben Horowitz, Avra and others," October 8, 2026, https://dealroom.co/news/160932-saudi-ai-company-echelon-launches-with-backing-from-ben-horowitz-avra-an/. Names East40, RAED Ventures, Avra and Ben Horowitz as backers, and Khalid as founder of East40. +[^11]: ClearGrid, about page, https://cleargrid.co/about (the page redirects from cleargrid.ai). Names Mohammad Al Zaben as "Co-founder & CEO," Mohammad Al Khalili as "Co-founder & CGO" and Khalid as "Co-founder & Chairman of ClearGrid KSA." The funding paragraph reads "co-led by Nuwa Capital and Raed Ventures," with BECO Capital, Waed Ventures and Endeavor participating. +[^12]: UK Companies House, EAST40 SOLUTIONS LTD (15041539), company overview and officers, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/15041539 and https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/15041539/officers. Incorporated August 1, 2023; registered office Olney, England; one active director, born March 1970, British. diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Echelon (company).md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Echelon (company).md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..9bb23503 --- /dev/null +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Echelon (company).md @@ -0,0 +1,144 @@ +--- +aliases: + - Echelon + - Echelon Digital + - Echelon Digital Group + - Echelon Digital Solutions Company + - Echelon Digital Holding Group + - Echelon Defense Industries + - echelon.inc +category: "Private Organization" +tags: + - Organization + - Echelon + - ArtificialIntelligence + - SaudiArabia + - DefenseIndustry + - KhalidBinBaderAlSaud + - EastForty + - RaedVentures +summary: "Riyadh AI company founded in 2025 by Khalid bin Bader Al Saud, with an undisclosed October 2026 round from East40, RAED Ventures, Avra and Ben Horowitz and a Defense Industries division due in 2027." +location: "Riyadh, Saudi Arabia" +created: 2026-10-13 +updated: 2026-10-13 +relations: + - type: founded + with: "[[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]]" + reverse: true + role: "founder and managing director" + start: 2025 + fn: 1 + - type: head_of + with: "[[Omar Saleh]]" + reverse: true + role: "leads the Technologies division; chief executive of Echelon Digital Group in 2025" + start: 2025-11 + fn: 11 + - type: funded + with: "[[RAED Ventures]]" + reverse: true + role: "investor in an undisclosed round" + start: 2026-10 + fn: 4 + - type: funded + with: "[[East40 Holding]]" + reverse: true + role: "investor in an undisclosed round" + start: 2026-10 + fn: 4 + - type: funded + with: "[[Avra]]" + reverse: true + role: "investor in an undisclosed round" + start: 2026-10 + fn: 4 + - type: funded + with: "[[Ben Horowitz]]" + reverse: true + role: "investor in an undisclosed round" + start: 2026-10 + fn: 4 + - type: partner_of + with: "[[IFS]]" + role: "Saudi channel partner for IFS.ai" + start: 2026-09-30 + fn: 3 + - type: partner_of + with: "[[Applied Intuition]]" + role: "business development partnership for physical AI in Saudi Arabia" + start: 2026-09-21 + fn: 9 + - type: partner_of + with: "[[Elutions]]" + role: "partnership to deploy Maestro AI, announced by Echelon Digital Group" + start: 2025-11-03 + fn: 11 + - type: partner_of + with: "[[Rubrik]]" + role: "partnership for data security in Saudi Arabia, announced with Echelon Digital Group" + start: 2025-12-02 + fn: 10 +--- + +Echelon is a [[Riyadh]]-based artificial intelligence company founded in 2025 by [[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]]. It describes itself as "founded in Saudi Arabia" and as "the global operating group behind successful AI transformations for businesses and nations."[^1][^2] + +### Founding and leadership + +An English release distributed on September 30, 2026 by [[IFS]], and its Arabic version on [[Zawya]] dated October 1, describe Echelon as headquartered in Riyadh and give Khalid the title Founder and Managing Director.[^1][^3] [[Wamda]] dates the founding to 2025, and the founder's letter on the company website says Echelon is "what we've been building over the last ten months."[^2][^4] Khalid is the son of [[Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]] and the nephew of [[Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]]; Al-Jazirah listed Turki and Badr among the sons of Saud bin Mohammed on January 22, 2016.[^5] + +The letter says the Technologies division "is led by [[Omar Saleh]]," who "spent the last 20 years at [[Microsoft]], successfully running its enterprise business in the Kingdom," and describes a team that has run sales, delivery and customer success "across AWS, Microsoft, Accenture and elsewhere."[^2] + +### Investors + +Wamda reported on October 7, 2026 that Echelon had raised an undisclosed round from [[East40 Holding|East40]], [[RAED Ventures]] and [[Avra]], "alongside Ben Horowitz and other investors." [[Dealroom]] published an item on October 8, 2026 titled "Saudi AI company Echelon launches with backing from Ben Horowitz, Avra and others."[^4][^6] The founder's letter says the company was "backed early by East40, Raed Ventures and Avra, alongside Ben Horowitz and others," and that Khalid founded East40 "alongside a few members of my family."[^2] + +Dealroom lists Khalid as an adviser to [[Andreessen Horowitz]].[^6] [[Ben Horowitz]] co-founded that firm. Andreessen Horowitz led the seed round and the July 2022 Series A of Nash, where [[Abdulrahman Alfozan]], a venture partner at RAED Ventures alongside Khalid, was a founding engineer from 2022.[^7][^8] + +### Divisions + +The website describes four divisions. Technologies, "GTM & Strategic Partnerships," is "bringing the world's best AI into the Kingdom's enterprises and governments." Frontier, "Forward Deployed Engineering & Applied AI," places engineers "alongside our customers and partners." Institute, the "Talent Factory," is "building Saudi AI talent, for us and for the wider ecosystem." Defense Industries is listed as "Launching in 2027."[^2] + +The founder's letter says Technologies is "our commercial engine" that brings AI companies "into the enterprises and government customers that need them," and is "focused on Energy, Industrials, Government, Telco, Defence, Aviation, Financial Services & Insurance and Healthcare." Frontier and Institute are to launch in the fourth quarter of 2026, Frontier to deploy "our partners' AI," build "applied AI applications and IP directly with customers" and partner with AI-native companies, and Institute to train Saudi engineers, its first cohort "focused on Physical AI." Echelon Defense Industries, launching in the first quarter of 2027, "is built for the scale of the defense opportunity ahead and the different requirements that come with it," and its purpose is "to help the Kingdom build sovereign defence capability." The letter adds: "More on this later."[^2] Wamda reports the same eight sectors and the Q1 2027 launch of the defense division.[^4] + +### Partners + +The website names three partners, with their dates of announcement. + +IFS, the industrial software company, announced the partnership on September 30, 2026. IFS describes Echelon as "the Riyadh-headquartered company that delivers artificial intelligence transformations globally" and says Echelon will "position its industrial AI platform, IFS.ai, across its heavy industry customers in Saudi Arabia," covering "energy, manufacturing, oil and gas, aerospace and defence, logistics and telecoms." The Arabic version lists "الطيران والفضاء والدفاع" (aviation, space and defense). The website describes the partnership as "across defense, energy, industrial and telecommunications."[^1][^2][^3] + +Applied Intuition announced a business development partnership on September 21, 2026, "with the goal of deploying physical AI at national scale in industries including robotaxis, ports, mining, manufacturing, agriculture, construction, and trucking." The release says Applied Intuition "has established a regional office in Riyadh" and that the two "will also work towards positioning the country as a global hub for research into autonomous driving for the logistics industry." [[Qasar Younis]], its co-founder and chief executive, is quoted. The company boilerplate describes Applied Intuition as powering physical AI "in the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries," and the Echelon website repeats that category line. The release names no defense project.[^2][^9] + +[[Rubrik]] announced its entry into Saudi Arabia on December 2, 2025 through a partnership with Echelon Digital Group, planning data protection, cyber recovery and compliance for "enterprises in energy, financial services, and government sectors." Its chief executive [[Bipul Sinha]] is quoted.[^10] + +On November 3, 2025 Echelon Digital Group announced a partnership with [[Elutions]], a US artificial intelligence software company, to deploy its Maestro platform across industrial and energy enterprises in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. The release names Prince Khaled bin Badr Al Saud as chairman of Echelon Digital and Omar Saleh as chief executive of Echelon Digital Group.[^11] + +### Government and defense customers + +[[Scott Stedman]] wrote on X on October 13, 2026 that Echelon is an AI company serving Saudi government and defense customers.[^12] The founder's letter names "Government" and "Defence" among the sectors in which the Technologies division is "live and delivering today," and refers to "government customers"; the website says Technologies brings AI "into the Kingdom's enterprises and governments." The Rubrik release lists "government sectors," and the website describes Rubrik as providing "data security and resilience for enterprise and government."[^2][^10] + +### Echelon Digital Group Ltd and name collisions + +The website's terms of use name the operator as Echelon Digital Solutions Company, "a company registered in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under commercial registration number 7051341746," with a registered address in the Al Aqeeq District of Riyadh. The same terms state that the site content is owned by Echelon Digital Holding Group Ltd, "a company registered in the Dubai International Financial Centre," and is used by Echelon Digital Solutions Company under licence.[^13] + +The UK [[Companies House]] register lists ECHELON DIGITAL GROUP LTD, incorporated June 6, 2025 and active, with a director born December 1997 and recorded as British.[^14] The 2025 releases from Echelon Digital Group carry the same executives as the present company, the website lists the Rubrik release among its news, and its terms of use are issued in the name of Echelon Digital Solutions Company.[^2][^10][^11] + +The name Echelon is shared with the signals intelligence program [[ECHELON]], which is a separate subject. The archived site at echelonai.com publishes ServiceNow consulting material.[^15] A UK company named ECHELON DIGITAL LIMITED, incorporated August 1, 2022, lists a secretary and a director born March 1985.[^16] + +### Footnotes + +[^1]: PRNewswire, "IFS and Echelon announce strategic partnership to drive industrial AI transformation to Saudi Arabia," Riyadh, September 30, 2026, https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/ifs-and-echelon-announce-strategic-partnership-to-drive-industrial-ai-transformation-to-saudi-arabia-302894219.html, as reproduced at https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/ifs-echelon-announce-strategic-partnership-095000341.html. +[^2]: Echelon, website, https://www.echelon.inc/ (single-page site with sections "Why We Exist," "What We Do," "Partners," "The latest news," founder's letter "Introducing Echelon" dated Riyadh, October 2026, terms of use and privacy policy version 6 of September 22, 2026), captured October 13, 2026 and archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20261013213650/https://www.echelon.inc/. The letter is also at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/introducing-echelon-khalid-bin-bader-al-saud-oycuc/. +[^3]: Zawya, "IFS وEchelon تعلنان عن شراكة استراتيجية لدفع التحول بالذكاء الاصطناعي الصناعي في المملكة العربية السعودية," Arabic press release, October 1, 2026, https://www.zawya.com/ar/بيانا-صحفية/أخبار-الشركات/ifs-وechelon-تعلنان-عن-شراكة-استراتيجية-لدفع-التحول-بالذكاء-الاصطناعي-الصناعي-في-المملكة-العربية-السعودية-1459910. Khalid titled "مؤسس Echelon ومديرها التنفيذي." +[^4]: Wamda, "Saudi AI startup Echelon secures backing from East40, RAED Ventures and Avra," October 2026, https://www.wamda.com/2026/10/saudi-ai-startup-echelon-secures-backing-east40-raed-ventures-avra (Arabic edition dated October 7, 2026, https://www.wamda.com/ar/2026/10/saudi-ai-startup-echelon-secures-backing-east40-raed-ventures-avra, archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20261013214422/https://www.wamda.com/2026/10/saudi-ai-startup-echelon-secures-backing-east40-raed-ventures-avra-arabic). Founded 2025 by Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud; undisclosed round; eight target sectors "energy, industrials, government, telecommunications, defence, aviation, financial services and insurance, and healthcare"; Echelon Defense Industries scheduled for the first quarter of 2027. +[^5]: Al-Jazirah, "Saud bin Mohammed: journey and history," January 22, 2016, https://www.al-jazirah.com/2016/20160122/wa1.htm (Arabic). Gives his name as Saud bin Mohammed (al-Mutawwa) bin Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Faisal bin Turki; the sons listed include Khalid (eldest), Turki, Abdulaziz "al-Samer," Sultan, Saad, Badr, Nawaf, Mutaib and Faisal; Badr's mother is named as Al-Anoud bint Abdullah bin Abdulmohsen Al-Furm. +[^6]: Dealroom, "Saudi AI company Echelon launches with backing from Ben Horowitz, Avra and others," October 8, 2026, https://dealroom.co/news/160932-saudi-ai-company-echelon-launches-with-backing-from-ben-horowitz-avra-an/. Names East40, RAED Ventures, Avra and Ben Horowitz; Khalid as founder of East40, co-founder of ClearGrid and adviser to Andreessen Horowitz; Omar Saleh as head of the commercial division; no amount or valuation. +[^7]: Andreessen Horowitz, "Investing in Nash," July 26, 2022, https://a16z.com/announcement/investing-in-nash/. "a16z is leading the Series A for Nash"; the firm "first partnered with Nash for their seed round in the fall of 2021." +[^8]: TechCrunch, "Nash raises cash to help merchants manage local deliveries," July 26, 2022, https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/26/nash-raises-cash-to-help-merchants-manage-local-deliveries/. A $20 million Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz and a $7.8 million seed round that the company's chief executive says Andreessen Horowitz also led. Alfozan's tenure as founding engineer is cited on his page to his LinkedIn profile. +[^9]: Echelon and Applied Intuition, "Echelon and Applied Intuition Partner to Scale Physical AI Across Saudi Arabia," Business Wire, September 21, 2026, https://markets.ft.com/data/announce/detail?dockey=600-202609211134BIZWIRE_USPRX____20260921_BW461685-1; also TradeArabia, https://www.gdnonline.com/Details/1407236/Echelon,-Applied-Intuition-join-forces-to-scale-physical-AI-across-Saudi-Arabia. +[^10]: Security MEA, "Rubrik Enters Saudi Market in Strategic Partnership with Echelon Digital," December 3, 2025, https://securitymea.com/2025/12/03/rubrik-enters-saudi-market-in-strategic-partnership-with-echelon-digital/. Names "H.H. Prince Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud, Executive Chairman of Echelon Digital" and Omar Saleh as chief executive of Echelon Digital. The Echelon website dates the release December 2, 2025. +[^11]: IPS News, "Echelon Digital and Elutions announce strategic partnership to accelerate AI transformation in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East," November 3, 2025, https://ipsnews.net/business/2025/11/03/echelon-digital-and-elutions-announce-strategic-partnership-to-accelerate-ai-transformation-in-saudi-arabia-and-the-middle-east/. +[^12]: Scott Stedman, post on X, October 13, 2026, https://x.com/i/web/status/2110104832178893109. +[^13]: Echelon, "Terms of Use," version 6, last updated September 22, 2026, on the company website, https://www.echelon.inc/ (Wayback capture of October 13, 2026, https://web.archive.org/web/20261013213650/https://www.echelon.inc/). +[^14]: UK Companies House, ECHELON DIGITAL GROUP LTD (16500930), company overview and officers, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/16500930/officers. Incorporated June 6, 2025; status active; SIC 73110, advertising agencies; director born December 1997, British, appointed June 6, 2025. +[^15]: Echelon AI, archived website, https://web.archive.org/web/20261013213017/https://echelonai.com/, captured October 13, 2026. Archived pages at the domain carry ServiceNow subjects in their titles. +[^16]: UK Companies House, company search results for "Echelon Digital," https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/search/companies?q=Echelon+Digital, and officers of ECHELON DIGITAL LIMITED (14268788). Incorporated August 1, 2022; a secretary and a director born March 1985 are listed. diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/NSO Group.md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/NSO Group.md index ee464cdf..eeef0467 100644 --- a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/NSO Group.md +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/NSO Group.md @@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ tags: summary: "Israeli spyware company founded in 2010 by Omri Lavie, Shalev Hulio, and Niv Carmi, developer of Pegasus, whose government clients selected over 50,000 potential targets, including Khashoggi's family, before the July 2021 Pegasus Project exposure." location: "Herzliya, Israel" created: 2026-06-18 -updated: 2026-10-12 +updated: 2026-10-13 relations: - type: partner_of with: "[[Unit 8200]]" @@ -43,27 +43,31 @@ NSO licensed Pegasus exclusively to government clients, framing the product as a The documented deployment patterns include: [[Mexico|Mexico]] (one of NSO's largest clients, where multiple administrations used Pegasus against journalists including [[Cecilio Pineda Brito|Cecilio Pineda Brito]], activists, lawyers, and even a child, per the [[Citizen Lab|Citizen Lab]] investigation); [[Catalonia|Catalonia]] (the "[[CatalanGate|CatalanGate]]" finding by Citizen Lab in 2022 documenting dozens of Catalan independence politicians and activists targeted by the Spanish state); [[El Salvador|El Salvador]] (surveillance continuing through 2022 despite NSO's reform pledges); and the [[Saudi Arabia|Saudi]] targeting of [[Jamal Khashoggi|Khashoggi]]'s associates.[^3][^8][^9][^10] +In January 2020 CNBC named [[Saud al-Qahtani]] among Saudi officials said to have bought Pegasus, writing that the spyware "has been widely reported as having been purchased by Saudi officials including Saud al-Qahtani, Prince Mohammed's former advisor who was implicated in the Khashoggi murder but ultimately not charged by the Saudi authorities."[^11] The sentence appears in CNBC's report on the UN statement about the analysis of [[Jeff Bezos]]'s iPhone by [[FTI Consulting]], and CNBC attributes the purchase claim to earlier press reporting. + ### The Khashoggi Surveillance -Pegasus was deployed against the associates of Jamal Khashoggi before the October 2018 murder inside the Saudi consulate in [[Istanbul|Istanbul]]. [[The Guardian|The Guardian]] reported in July 2021, based on the Pegasus Project leak, that Pegasus was found on the phone of Khashoggi's wife [[Hanan Elatr|Hanan Elatr]] months before the killing. An Emirati government agency separately placed NSO spyware on the phone of a Khashoggi associate, [[Al Jazeera|Al Jazeera]] reported. Khashoggi's friend [[Omar Abdul Aziz|Omar Abdul Aziz]] sued NSO Group, claiming the spyware enabled the murder by mapping Khashoggi's network and communications. A federal judge dismissed the widow's lawsuit against NSO in October 2023.[^11] +Pegasus was deployed against the associates of Jamal Khashoggi before the October 2018 murder inside the Saudi consulate in [[Istanbul|Istanbul]]. [[The Guardian|The Guardian]] reported in July 2021, based on the Pegasus Project leak, that Pegasus was found on the phone of Khashoggi's wife [[Hanan Elatr|Hanan Elatr]] months before the killing. An Emirati government agency separately placed NSO spyware on the phone of a Khashoggi associate, [[Al Jazeera|Al Jazeera]] reported. Khashoggi's friend [[Omar Abdul Aziz|Omar Abdul Aziz]] sued NSO Group, claiming the spyware enabled the murder by mapping Khashoggi's network and communications. A federal judge dismissed the widow's lawsuit against NSO in October 2023.[^12] -The Khashoggi surveillance ran through the same [[Mohammed bin Salman|MBS]]-[[WhatsApp|WhatsApp]] channel that [[Jared Kushner|Jared Kushner]] used to communicate with the Saudi crown prince, and through the broader Saudi-Emirati intelligence network that operated Pegasus against the targets. The NSO Group sits at the intersection of the documented surveillance infrastructure that enabled the Khashoggi assassination and the Kushner-MBS relationship that shaped the Trump administration's response to it.[^11] +Citizen Lab's report "The Kingdom Came to Canada," published October 1, 2018, assessed with high confidence that the phone of Omar Abdulaziz was infected with Pegasus.[^13] The authors attributed the infection to "a Pegasus operator linked to Saudi Arabia," an operator they named KINGDOM, which they tied to the 2018 targeting of the Saudi dissident Yahya Assiri and an Amnesty International researcher.[^13] The report states that the authors were unaware of any legal authorization for the infection and monitoring of Abdulaziz in Canada by a foreign government.[^13] + +The Khashoggi surveillance ran through the same [[Mohammed bin Salman|MBS]]-[[WhatsApp|WhatsApp]] channel that [[Jared Kushner|Jared Kushner]] used to communicate with the Saudi crown prince, and through the broader Saudi-Emirati intelligence network that operated Pegasus against the targets. The NSO Group sits at the intersection of the documented surveillance infrastructure that enabled the Khashoggi assassination and the Kushner-MBS relationship that shaped the Trump administration's response to it.[^12] ### Ownership and the Novalpina Deal -NSO was acquired by [[Francisco Partners|Francisco Partners]], a technology-focused private equity firm, in 2014. Francisco Partners's ownership period covered the initial expansion of the Pegasus client base across multiple governments, including the documented deployments in Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and the [[United Arab Emirates|United Arab Emirates]]. The Francisco Partners ownership placed a standard private-equity firm in operational control of a cyber-arms company in its portfolio.[^3][^12] +NSO was acquired by [[Francisco Partners|Francisco Partners]], a technology-focused private equity firm, in 2014. Francisco Partners's ownership period covered the initial expansion of the Pegasus client base across multiple governments, including the documented deployments in Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and the [[United Arab Emirates|United Arab Emirates]]. The Francisco Partners ownership placed a standard private-equity firm in operational control of a cyber-arms company in its portfolio.[^3][^14] -In 2019, the co-founders Hulio and Lavie re-acquired NSO from Francisco Partners with funding from [[Novalpina Capital|Novalpina Capital]], a London-based private equity firm founded by [[Stephen Peel|Stephen Peel]]. The Novalpina acquisition valued NSO at approximately 1 billion dollars. The re-acquisition coincided with the period of intensifying scrutiny on NSO's government-client deployments, and the Novalpina ownership became itself a subject of controversy when Novalpina's limited partners raised concerns about the ethical implications of owning a cyber-arms company. Novalpina subsequently underwent its own internal crisis, and the ownership structure of NSO entered a period of documented instability.[^3][^12] +In 2019, the co-founders Hulio and Lavie re-acquired NSO from Francisco Partners with funding from [[Novalpina Capital|Novalpina Capital]], a London-based private equity firm founded by [[Stephen Peel|Stephen Peel]]. The Novalpina acquisition valued NSO at approximately 1 billion dollars. The re-acquisition coincided with the period of intensifying scrutiny on NSO's government-client deployments, and the Novalpina ownership became itself a subject of controversy when Novalpina's limited partners raised concerns about the ethical implications of owning a cyber-arms company. Novalpina subsequently underwent its own internal crisis, and the ownership structure of NSO entered a period of documented instability.[^3][^14] -The Pegasus Project investigation (July 2021) and the subsequent regulatory and legal pressure (including [[Apple|Apple]]'s lawsuit against NSO, the U.S. Commerce Department's addition of NSO to the [[Entity List|Entity List]] in November 2021, and the WhatsApp v. NSO litigation) have constrained the company's operations. The ownership trajectory from startup to Francisco Partners portfolio company to Novalpina-controlled entity to a constrained and legally challenged operation documents the arc of a private intelligence firm that operated with limited accountability through multiple ownership regimes.[^3][^12] +The Pegasus Project investigation (July 2021) and the subsequent regulatory and legal pressure (including [[Apple|Apple]]'s lawsuit against NSO, the U.S. Commerce Department's addition of NSO to the [[Entity List|Entity List]] in November 2021, and the WhatsApp v. NSO litigation) have constrained the company's operations. The ownership trajectory from startup to Francisco Partners portfolio company to Novalpina-controlled entity to a constrained and legally challenged operation documents the arc of a private intelligence firm that operated with limited accountability through multiple ownership regimes.[^3][^14] ### WhatsApp Litigation -WhatsApp sued NSO in October 2019 in the Northern District of California. A July 16, 2020 order described NSO as an Israeli limited liability company, described [[Q Cyber Technologies]] as an Israeli corporation and NSO's only active director and majority shareholder, and recorded the complaint's allegation that defendants sent malware through WhatsApp's system to about 1,400 mobile devices.[^13] +WhatsApp sued NSO in October 2019 in the Northern District of California. A July 16, 2020 order described NSO as an Israeli limited liability company, described [[Q Cyber Technologies]] as an Israeli corporation and NSO's only active director and majority shareholder, and recorded the complaint's allegation that defendants sent malware through WhatsApp's system to about 1,400 mobile devices.[^15] -On December 20, 2024, Judge Phyllis Hamilton granted WhatsApp's motion for partial summary judgment on liability under the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and California's Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act, and denied NSO's motion for summary judgment. The order granted the sanctions motion in part, considered terminating sanctions, preferred evidentiary sanctions, and stated that a trial would proceed only on damages.[^14] +On December 20, 2024, Judge Phyllis Hamilton granted WhatsApp's motion for partial summary judgment on liability under the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and California's Comprehensive Computer Data Access and Fraud Act, and denied NSO's motion for summary judgment. The order granted the sanctions motion in part, considered terminating sanctions, preferred evidentiary sanctions, and stated that a trial would proceed only on damages.[^16] -On May 6, 2025 a jury returned a unanimous verdict of $444,719 in compensatory damages and $167,254,000 in punitive damages (Dkt. 736), a total of $167,698,719.[^15] On October 17, 2025 Judge Hamilton granted a permanent injunction and remitted the punitive award to $4,002,471 (a nine-to-one ratio to compensatory damages); WhatsApp accepted the remittitur on October 31, 2025; on November 12, 2025 the court entered the permanent injunction, which excludes NSO's foreign sovereign customers, and a final judgment of $4,447,190.[^15][^16] On December 19, 2025 the court denied a stay of the injunction pending appeal.[^17] +On May 6, 2025 a jury returned a unanimous verdict of $444,719 in compensatory damages and $167,254,000 in punitive damages (Dkt. 736), a total of $167,698,719.[^17] On October 17, 2025 Judge Hamilton granted a permanent injunction and remitted the punitive award to $4,002,471 (a nine-to-one ratio to compensatory damages); WhatsApp accepted the remittitur on October 31, 2025; on November 12, 2025 the court entered the permanent injunction, which excludes NSO's foreign sovereign customers, and a final judgment of $4,447,190.[^17][^18] On December 19, 2025 the court denied a stay of the injunction pending appeal.[^19] ### Footnotes @@ -77,10 +81,12 @@ On May 6, 2025 a jury returned a unanimous verdict of $444,719 in compensatory d [^8]: "Reckless Exploit: Mexican Journalists, Lawyers, and a Child Targeted with NSO Spyware." *Citizen Lab.* https://citizenlab.ca/research/reckless-exploit-mexico-nso/ [^9]: For the Catalonia (CatalanGate) finding, see the Citizen Lab 2022 CatalanGate report. [^10]: "NSO Group's Continued Surveillance." *Rest of World,* 2022 (El Salvador). https://restofworld.org/2022/nso-pegasus-el-salvador/ -[^11]: "NSO spyware used to target family of Jamal Khashoggi, leaked data shows." *The Guardian,* July 18, 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/18/nso-spyware-used-to-target-family-of-jamal-khashoggi-leaked-data-shows-saudis-pegasus -[^12]: For the Novalpina Capital ownership deal, see the published NSO Group and Novalpina Capital documentation. -[^13]: *WhatsApp Inc. v. NSO Group Technologies Limited*, No. 4:19-cv-07123-PJH (N.D. Cal.), Order on motions to dismiss (Dkt. 111, July 16, 2020), pp. 1-2. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123/pdf/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123-5.pdf -[^14]: *WhatsApp Inc. v. NSO Group Technologies Limited*, No. 4:19-cv-07123-PJH (N.D. Cal.), Order re motions for summary judgment and sanctions (Dkt. 494, December 20, 2024), at 16. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123/pdf/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123-24.pdf -[^15]: *WhatsApp LLC v. NSO Group Technologies Limited*, No. 4:19-cv-07123-PJH (N.D. Cal.), Final Judgment (Dkt. 810, November 12, 2025), p. 2. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123/pdf/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123-44.pdf -[^16]: Same case, Order re permanent injunction and remittitur (Dkt. 802, October 17, 2025), pp. 1-2 and conclusion. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123/pdf/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123-40.pdf ; Order granting permanent injunction (Dkt. 809, November 12, 2025), p. 2. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123/pdf/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123-43.pdf -[^17]: Same case, Order denying motion to stay permanent injunction (Dkt. 824, December 19, 2025). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123/pdf/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123-46.pdf +[^11]: CNBC, "Bezos phone hacking: UN calls for immediate investigation," January 22, 2020. Copy: https://web.archive.org/web/2020id_/https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/22/bezos-phone-hacking-un-calls-for-immediate-investigation.html +[^12]: "NSO spyware used to target family of Jamal Khashoggi, leaked data shows." *The Guardian,* July 18, 2021. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/18/nso-spyware-used-to-target-family-of-jamal-khashoggi-leaked-data-shows-saudis-pegasus +[^13]: Citizen Lab, "The Kingdom Came to Canada: How Saudi-Linked Digital Espionage Reached Canadian Soil," October 1, 2018, https://citizenlab.ca/2018/10/the-kingdom-came-to-canada-how-saudi-linked-digital-espionage-reached-canadian-soil/. Citizen Lab Report No. 115, by Bill Marczak, John Scott-Railton, Adam Senft, Bahr Abdul Razzak and Ron Deibert. The quoted phrase and the legal-authorization sentence are verbatim from the report text. +[^14]: For the Novalpina Capital ownership deal, see the published NSO Group and Novalpina Capital documentation. +[^15]: *WhatsApp Inc. v. NSO Group Technologies Limited*, No. 4:19-cv-07123-PJH (N.D. Cal.), Order on motions to dismiss (Dkt. 111, July 16, 2020), pp. 1-2. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123/pdf/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123-5.pdf +[^16]: *WhatsApp Inc. v. NSO Group Technologies Limited*, No. 4:19-cv-07123-PJH (N.D. Cal.), Order re motions for summary judgment and sanctions (Dkt. 494, December 20, 2024), at 16. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123/pdf/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123-24.pdf +[^17]: *WhatsApp LLC v. NSO Group Technologies Limited*, No. 4:19-cv-07123-PJH (N.D. Cal.), Final Judgment (Dkt. 810, November 12, 2025), p. 2. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123/pdf/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123-44.pdf +[^18]: Same case, Order re permanent injunction and remittitur (Dkt. 802, October 17, 2025), pp. 1-2 and conclusion. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123/pdf/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123-40.pdf ; Order granting permanent injunction (Dkt. 809, November 12, 2025), p. 2. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123/pdf/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123-43.pdf +[^19]: Same case, Order denying motion to stay permanent injunction (Dkt. 824, December 19, 2025). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123/pdf/USCOURTS-cand-4_19-cv-07123-46.pdf diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/OpenAI.md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/OpenAI.md index 2cf0340c..0302e441 100644 --- a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/OpenAI.md +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/OpenAI.md @@ -11,7 +11,64 @@ tags: summary: "OpenAI is an artificial-intelligence company founded as a nonprofit in 2015 with a billion-dollar pledge from backers including Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Reid Hoffman, and Peter Thiel, whose 2023 firing and reinstatement of CEO Sam Altman exposed the conflict between its effective-altruism-aligned safety board and its commercial expansion." location: "San Francisco, California" created: 2026-06-19 -updated: 2026-09-22 +updated: 2026-10-13 +relations: + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Abdulrahman Alfozan]]" + reverse: true + start: 2025-07 + role: "engineer; arrested October 9, 2026" + fn: 10 + - type: owned + with: "[[MGX]]" + reverse: true + start: 2025-10 + role: "held shares acquired in a secondary sale of about 6.6 billion dollars at a valuation of around 500 billion dollars" + fn: 20 + - type: funded + with: "[[Andreessen Horowitz]]" + reverse: true + start: 2026-03 + role: "named co-lead, per Bloomberg, of a roughly 10 billion dollar financing said to be set to close the following week" + fn: 21 + - type: funded + with: "[[MGX]]" + reverse: true + start: 2026-03 + role: "named co-lead, per Bloomberg, of a roughly 10 billion dollar financing said to be set to close the following week" + fn: 21 + - type: partner_of + with: "[[G42]]" + start: 2025-05 + role: "Stargate UAE, 1 GW cluster in Abu Dhabi, 200 MW expected to go live in 2026" + fn: 17 + - type: director_of + with: "[[Paul Nakasone]]" + reverse: true + start: 2024-06-13 + role: "board member; also named to the board's security and safety subcommittee" + fn: 22 + - type: partner_of + with: "[[Anduril Industries]]" + start: 2024-12-04 + role: "counter-drone models partnership" + fn: 23 + - type: partner_of + with: "[[Los Alamos]]" + start: 2025-01-30 + role: "o-series models on the Venado supercomputer, moved to a classified network" + fn: 24 + - type: contractor_to + with: "[[Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office]]" + start: 2025-06-16 + end: 2026-07 + role: "200 million dollar prototype other transaction agreement, estimated completion July 2026" + fn: 26 + - type: contractor_to + with: "[[General Services Administration]]" + start: 2025-08-06 + role: "OneGov agreement, ChatGPT Enterprise at 1 dollar per agency for one year" + fn: 27 --- OpenAI is an artificial-intelligence research company founded in [[San Francisco]] on December 11, 2015 as a nonprofit laboratory whose stated mission was to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits humanity. Its founding was announced with a one-billion-dollar funding pledge from [[Elon Musk]], [[Sam Altman]], [[Greg Brockman]], [[Reid Hoffman]], [[Jessica Livingston]], [[Peter Thiel]], [[Amazon Web Services]], and [[Infosys]], though tax filings later showed that only about 133 million dollars had actually been received by 2021. The organization grew out of the same AI-existential-risk concern that animates the [[Rationalist Community]] and [[Effective Altruism]] movements, and its 2023 governance crisis exposed the fault line between that safety-focused mission and its commercial trajectory.[^1][^2] @@ -20,24 +77,95 @@ OpenAI is an artificial-intelligence research company founded in [[San Francisco OpenAI was established as a counterweight to the concentration of AI capability in a single corporation, with Musk and Altman as co-chairs, Brockman as chief technology officer, and [[Ilya Sutskever]] as chief scientist. Musk departed the board in 2018 amid conflicts of interest with [[Tesla]]'s own AI work. In 2019 OpenAI created a "capped-profit" subsidiary beneath the nonprofit, took a one-billion-dollar investment from [[Microsoft]], and installed Altman as chief executive, restructuring a nonprofit research mission into an entity capable of raising commercial capital. The 2022 release of [[ChatGPT]] made OpenAI the central company of the generative-AI period.[^1][^3] -The 2019 capped-profit entity, OpenAI LP, limited early investors to a return of 100 times their money, with lower caps for later backers such as Microsoft; profit above the cap would flow to the controlling nonprofit. Microsoft expanded its commitment to a reported 13 billion dollars by January 2023, receiving a large share of OpenAI's profits up to its cap until repaid. On October 28, 2025 OpenAI completed a further restructuring that retired the capped-profit model entirely: the nonprofit, renamed the OpenAI Foundation, took a roughly 26 percent equity stake valued near 130 billion dollars in a new public-benefit corporation called OpenAI Group PBC, Microsoft took a 27 percent stake worth about 135 billion dollars, and employees and investors held the remaining 47 percent, at a 500-billion-dollar valuation. The revised Microsoft agreement moved the power to declare that artificial general intelligence had been reached from OpenAI's board to an independent expert panel jointly established by the two companies.[^7][^8] +The 2019 capped-profit entity, OpenAI LP, limited early investors to a return of 100 times their money, with lower caps for later backers such as Microsoft; profit above the cap would flow to the controlling nonprofit. Microsoft expanded its commitment to a reported 13 billion dollars by January 2023, receiving a large share of OpenAI's profits up to its cap until repaid. On October 28, 2025 OpenAI completed a further restructuring that retired the capped-profit model entirely: the nonprofit, renamed the OpenAI Foundation, took a roughly 26 percent equity stake valued near 130 billion dollars in a new public-benefit corporation called OpenAI Group PBC, Microsoft took a 27 percent stake worth about 135 billion dollars, and employees and investors held the remaining 47 percent, at a 500-billion-dollar valuation. The revised Microsoft agreement moved the power to declare that artificial general intelligence had been reached from OpenAI's board to an independent expert panel jointly established by the two companies.[^4][^5] ### The November 2023 Board Crisis -On November 17, 2023, the nonprofit board removed Altman as chief executive, stating that he had not been "consistently candid." The voting directors were Sutskever, [[Adam D'Angelo]], the entrepreneur [[Tasha McCauley]], and [[Helen Toner]] of the Georgetown Center for Security and Emerging Technology; McCauley and Toner had ties to the effective-altruism movement, and the board's concern centered on the pace of AI commercialization relative to safety. Brockman quit in protest, roughly 700 employees threatened to resign, and within 48 hours directors discussed merging OpenAI with [[Anthropic]], a step *Bloomberg* reported Toner had supported and that would have ended OpenAI as an independent entity. Altman was reinstated within days under a reconstituted board chaired by [[Bret Taylor]] and including [[Larry Summers]], and Sutskever, McCauley, and Toner left.[^4][^5] +On November 17, 2023, the nonprofit board removed Altman as chief executive, stating that he had not been "consistently candid." The voting directors were Sutskever, [[Adam D'Angelo]], the entrepreneur [[Tasha McCauley]], and [[Helen Toner]] of the Georgetown Center for Security and Emerging Technology; McCauley and Toner had ties to the effective-altruism movement, and the board's concern centered on the pace of AI commercialization relative to safety. Brockman quit in protest, roughly 700 employees threatened to resign, and within 48 hours directors discussed merging OpenAI with [[Anthropic]], a step *Bloomberg* reported Toner had supported and that would have ended OpenAI as an independent entity. Altman was reinstated within days under a reconstituted board chaired by [[Bret Taylor]] and including [[Larry Summers]], and Sutskever, McCauley, and Toner left.[^6][^7] -The crisis was widely read as a defeat for the effective-altruism and AI-safety wing of the company by the commercial and accelerationist wing aligned with Altman and Microsoft. Sutskever left OpenAI in 2024, and Musk sued the company and Altman the same year, alleging a betrayal of the original nonprofit mission.[^4][^6] +The crisis was widely read as a defeat for the effective-altruism and AI-safety wing of the company by the commercial and accelerationist wing aligned with Altman and Microsoft. Sutskever left OpenAI in 2024, and Musk sued the company and Altman the same year, alleging a betrayal of the original nonprofit mission.[^6][^8] Musk's suit, filed in 2024 and later amended to name Microsoft as a defendant, alleged that OpenAI had become a "closed-source de facto subsidiary" of Microsoft and accused Altman of "rampant self-dealing." Musk amended the complaint so that any of the roughly 150 billion dollars in damages he sought would go to OpenAI's nonprofit rather than to himself, and sought to remove Altman as chief executive and director. In May 2026 a nine-member advisory jury found that Musk had filed outside the statute of limitations, and Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers dismissed the case.[^9] +### The 2026 Recording Device Case + +On October 13, 2026 the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California announced that [[Abdulrahman Alfozan]], an OpenAI engineer and a Saudi national, had been arrested on October 9 and charged with using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications.[^10] The Justice Department release states that the complaint alleges he concealed a recording device inside a USB port on the back of a television in an executive conference room at one of OpenAI's San Francisco buildings. OpenAI personnel found the device on September 30, 2026, concealed in toilet paper, and OpenAI determined that it had been installed on or about September 28 and that its contents were encrypted.[^10] + +OpenAI said that it had found a "sophisticated" device, which it described as having "advanced encryption, audio monitoring capabilities, and a mechanism for transferring data designed to evade monitoring." The company said that it used its internal models to analyze the device and identified that "a specific employee had planted it a few days earlier," and that it had referred the matter to the FBI.[^11] On X the company said that "at this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data."[^11] OpenAI said it fired the employee on October 9, the day of his arrest, after coordinating the timing with the FBI, and that it had restricted his access to systems and spaces beginning September 30.[^12] + +OpenAI's spokesperson said the employee started with the company in July 2025 and worked on the product team.[^11] A LinkedIn profile under his name gives September 2025 as the start of the OpenAI role.[^13] The company's own GitHub organization lists six pull requests from an account under his handle to the openai-agents-python repository, opened between April 15 and May 7, 2026.[^14] + +[[RAED Ventures]], a Riyadh venture firm whose investors include the Saudi Venture Capital Company, Riyadh Valley Company and [[Jada Fund of Funds]] (owned by the [[Public Investment Fund]]), announced Alfozan as a venture partner on February 8, 2025, when he was a founding engineer at [[Nash (company)]]. The firm's team page captured on January 23, 2026 describes him as "Engineering Lead at OpenAI, with a focus on AI Agents and the data platform," and the page live on October 13, 2026 carries the same text and an MIT degree; the San Francisco Standard reported that his LinkedIn profile lists a master's degree in data science from the University of California, Berkeley.[^11][^15] Prince [[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]] is listed as a venture partner of the same firm; [[Echelon (company)]], which he founded, announced a round from East40, RAED Ventures and Avra on October 7, 2026.[^15][^16] + +### Gulf Investment and Partnerships + +On May 22, 2025 OpenAI announced Stargate UAE, which it described as "the first international deployment of Stargate, OpenAI's AI infrastructure platform," with "a 1GW Stargate UAE cluster in Abu Dhabi with 200MW expected to go live in 2026." The announcement names G42, Oracle, NVIDIA, Cisco and SoftBank as partners in an agreement that it says "was developed in close coordination with the U.S. government."[^17] The project brings together [[G42]], OpenAI, [[Oracle]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Cisco]] and [[SoftBank]] under the name [[Stargate (AI infrastructure)]] in [[Abu Dhabi]].[^18] In October 2025 a G42 spokesperson said that "work is progressing rapidly on the first 200 megawatts of capacity, which is expected to be completed by 2026."[^18] + +On May 13, 2025 Sam Altman attended the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in [[Riyadh]] during the visit of President [[Donald Trump]] to [[Saudi Arabia]].[^19] A Reuters photograph of the forum carries the caption "OpenAI CEO Sam Altman looks on as he visits Riyadh with U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk (both not pictured), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025."[^19] + +In October 2025 [[MGX]], an Abu Dhabi investment firm, took part in a secondary sale of about 6.6 billion dollars in OpenAI shares, a transaction that set the company's valuation at around 500 billion dollars. The sale allowed employees and early investors to sell part of their holdings. Other participants named in Reuters reporting were [[Thrive Capital]], SoftBank, [[Dragoneer Investment Group]] and [[T. Rowe Price]].[^20] + +In March 2026 Bloomberg reported that the company had said [[Andreessen Horowitz]], MGX, [[D.E. Shaw Ventures]], [[TPG]] and T. Rowe Price "will co-lead the financing, which is set to close next week." Coatue Management, Thrive Capital and Altimeter Capital were also named as set to participate in the roughly 10 billion dollar financing.[^21] + +### Government and National Security Engagements + +On June 13, 2024 OpenAI added [[Paul Nakasone]] to its board. TechCrunch reported that the former National Security Agency head "will also sit on the board's 'security and safety' subcommittee."[^22] + +On December 4, 2024 [[Anduril Industries]] announced a partnership with OpenAI to apply OpenAI models to counter-drone systems. Anduril said the models "will help protect U.S. and allied military personnel and ensure mission success."[^23] + +On January 30, 2025 [[Los Alamos]] announced that it had entered a partnership with OpenAI to install its o-series reasoning models on the Venado supercomputer, which was to be moved to a secure, classified network as a shared resource for Los Alamos, [[Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory]] and [[Sandia National Laboratories]].[^24] On August 28, 2025 the laboratory reported that Venado was running OpenAI's o3 reasoning model.[^25] + +On June 16, 2025 the [[Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office]] of the [[Department of Defense]] made an award of 200 million dollars, a prototype other transaction agreement, to OpenAI Public Sector, with an estimated completion date of July 2026. The Department of Defense contracts announcement described the work as meant to "develop prototype frontier AI capabilities to address critical national security challenges in both warfighting and enterprise domains." OpenAI's own description of the work centered on administrative operations, with the aim to "identify and prototype how frontier AI can transform its administrative operations."[^26] + +On August 6, 2025 the [[General Services Administration]] announced a OneGov partnership with OpenAI under which federal agencies could purchase ChatGPT Enterprise at "$1 per agency pricing" for one year.[^27] + +The Justice Department release of October 13, 2026 states that the complaint describes meetings in the executive conference room as involving "nonpublic information about Open AI's technical progress and strategic decisions, capabilities, priorities, government engagements, and commercial relationships," and that the prosecution is in support of [[NSPM-11]], "designed to support American superiority in super intelligence technology."[^28] + +### Personnel Security and Insider Threat + +The New York Times reported on July 4, 2024, citing two people familiar with the incident, that a hacker had accessed an online forum where OpenAI employees discussed the company's latest technologies. Executives told employees and the board at an all-hands meeting in April 2023, and did not inform federal law enforcement agencies, because they "didn't consider the incident a national security threat" and believed the hacker was a private individual with no known connection to a foreign government.[^29] TechCrunch wrote that unnamed company sources told the Times the hacker "only got access to an employee discussion forum."[^30] + +In a June 4, 2024 podcast interview, [[Leopold Aschenbrenner]] said that he had written an internal memo on OpenAI's security which he thought was "egregiously insufficient to protect against the theft of model weights or key algorithmic secrets from foreign actors." He said that "a major security incident occurred" a few weeks after he circulated it, that he then shared the memo with board members, and that he received "an official HR warning for sharing the memo with the board." He said that a human resources representative "told me it was racist to worry about CCP espionage and that it was unconstructive." A footnote on the transcript at the words "major security incident" reads: "The previous linked item here was not the major security incident Leopold was referring to."[^31] TechCrunch reported that Aschenbrenner had hinted at the forum incident in the podcast, calling it a "major security incident."[^30] + +On August 4, 2026 the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division announced a combined 3.2 million dollar settlement with OpenAI OpCo LLC and its subsidiary Statsig Inc. over allegations that the companies violated the Immigration and Nationality Act by discriminating against U.S. workers in favor of workers with temporary employment visas during recruiting under the Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) process. The department's investigation found that OpenAI did not advertise PERM positions on its external job website, required paper applications by mail for those positions, and advertised positions on the radio late at night. There were fewer than ten PERM positions at issue. OpenAI agreed to pay 1.2 million dollars in civil penalties and to establish a 2 million dollar back-pay fund, to post PERM positions on its public career website, accept electronic applications, train its personnel, revise its employment policies, and be subject to departmental monitoring and reporting requirements. Reuters reported that the company denied wrongdoing in the settlement agreement.[^32] + +In October 2025 OpenAI reported that it had banned accounts apparently tied to Chinese government entities that sought assistance designing social media monitoring tools and profiling dissidents. The same report describes alleged China-linked groups that crafted phishing content and debugged malware targeting Taiwan's semiconductor sector.[^33] + +In November 2025 Anthropic reported that a threat actor it assessed with high confidence was "a Chinese state-sponsored group" had manipulated its Claude Code tool into attempting infiltration of "roughly thirty global targets," with success in a small number of cases.[^34] + ### Footnotes [^1]: "OpenAI launches as a nonprofit with a billion-dollar pledge," December 11, 2015; founding donors including Musk, Altman, Brockman, Reid Hoffman, Jessica Livingston, Peter Thiel, AWS, and Infosys. See IEEE Spectrum, December 2015. https://spectrum.ieee.org/billiondollar-nonprofit-ai-research-lab-to-open-in-san-francisco [^2]: "OpenAI says Musk only ever contributed $45 million," *TechCrunch,* March 5, 2024, on actual versus pledged funding. https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/05/openai-response-elon-musk-lawsuit/ [^3]: "The messy, secretive reality behind OpenAI's bid to save the world," *MIT Technology Review,* February 17, 2020. https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/02/17/844721/ai-openai-moonshot-elon-musk-sam-altman-greg-brockman-messy-secretive-reality/ -[^4]: "Effective Altruism's Role in the OpenAI Chaos, Explained," *Bloomberg,* November 22, 2023. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-22/effective-altruism-s-role-in-the-openai-chaos-explained -[^5]: "Inside the Deposition That Showed How OpenAI Nearly Destroyed Itself," *Decrypt,* on the Sutskever deposition and the discussed Anthropic merger. https://decrypt.co/347349/inside-deposition-showed-openai-nearly-destroyed-itself -[^6]: "OpenAI, Sam Altman and Failed Governance," AKF Partners, postmortem of the November 2023 board crisis. https://akfpartners.com/growth-blog/openai-sam-altman-and-failed-governance-a-postmortem-of-the-openai-governance-soap-opera -[^7]: "Microsoft's $13 billion bet on OpenAI carries huge potential along with plenty of uncertainty," *CNBC,* April 8, 2023, on the 100x return cap and Microsoft's expanded investment. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/08/microsofts-complex-bet-on-openai-brings-potential-and-uncertainty.html -[^8]: "OpenAI completes restructure, solidifying Microsoft as a major shareholder," *CNBC,* October 28, 2025, on the OpenAI Foundation, OpenAI Group PBC, the 27 percent Microsoft stake, and the AGI declaration panel. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/28/open-ai-for-profit-microsoft.html +[^4]: "Microsoft's $13 billion bet on OpenAI carries huge potential along with plenty of uncertainty," *CNBC,* April 8, 2023, on the 100x return cap and Microsoft's expanded investment. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/04/08/microsofts-complex-bet-on-openai-brings-potential-and-uncertainty.html +[^5]: "OpenAI completes restructure, solidifying Microsoft as a major shareholder," *CNBC,* October 28, 2025, on the OpenAI Foundation, OpenAI Group PBC, the 27 percent Microsoft stake, and the AGI declaration panel. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/28/open-ai-for-profit-microsoft.html +[^6]: "Effective Altruism's Role in the OpenAI Chaos, Explained," *Bloomberg,* November 22, 2023. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-22/effective-altruism-s-role-in-the-openai-chaos-explained +[^7]: "Inside the Deposition That Showed How OpenAI Nearly Destroyed Itself," *Decrypt,* on the Sutskever deposition and the discussed Anthropic merger. https://decrypt.co/347349/inside-deposition-showed-openai-nearly-destroyed-itself +[^8]: "OpenAI, Sam Altman and Failed Governance," AKF Partners, postmortem of the November 2023 board crisis. https://akfpartners.com/growth-blog/openai-sam-altman-and-failed-governance-a-postmortem-of-the-openai-governance-soap-opera [^9]: "Jury dismisses all claims in Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman," *NPR,* May 18, 2026; "Musk's amended lawsuit against OpenAI names Microsoft as defendant," *TechCrunch,* November 14, 2024. https://www.npr.org/2026/05/18/nx-s1-5822366/musk-altman-openai-jury-verdict-claims-dismissed +[^10]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Saudi National Arrested for Installing Surreptitious Audio Recording Device at OpenAI," October 13, 2026, press release 26-1173. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/saudi-national-arrested-installing-surreptitious-audio-recording-device-openai +[^11]: TechCrunch, "FBI arrests OpenAI employee accused of planting hidden recording device in conference room," October 13, 2026. https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/13/fbi-arrests-openai-employee-accused-of-planting-hidden-recording-device-in-conference-room/ +[^12]: "OpenAI engineer arrested in bugging of executive conference room," *San Francisco Standard,* October 13, 2026. https://sfstandard.com/2026/10/13/openai-engineer-arrested-alleged-bugging-executive-conference-room/ +[^13]: LinkedIn, public profile of Abdulrahman Alfozan. https://www.linkedin.com/in/alfozan +[^14]: GitHub, pull requests by the author alfozan in openai/openai-agents-python, queried October 13, 2026. https://api.github.com/search/issues?q=repo:openai/openai-agents-python+author:alfozan +[^15]: RAED Ventures, "About," English about page, Wayback capture of January 23, 2026 (https://web.archive.org/web/20260123220439/https://raed.vc/about/) and live on October 13, 2026 (https://raed.vc/about/); announcement dated February 8, 2025 (https://raed.vc/news/raed-ventures-welcomes-new-venture-partner-abdulrahman-alfozan/). Listing as venture partner first appears in the homepage capture of August 21, 2025 (https://web.archive.org/web/20250821032650/https://raed.vc/). +[^16]: "Saudi AI startup Echelon secures backing from East40, RAED Ventures and Avra," Wamda, October 7, 2026. https://www.wamda.com/ar/2026/10/saudi-ai-startup-echelon-secures-backing-east40-raed-ventures-avra +[^17]: OpenAI, "Introducing Stargate UAE," May 22, 2025 (Wayback capture of May 22, 2025: https://web.archive.org/web/20250522id_/https://openai.com/index/introducing-stargate-uae/). https://openai.com/index/introducing-stargate-uae/ +[^18]: "New update on Stargate UAE: First phase of 200MW to complete by 2026," *Gulf News*, October 16, 2025. The article states: "Announced in May 2025, the project brings together G42, OpenAI, Oracle, NVIDIA, Cisco, and SoftBank," and quotes a G42 spokesperson: "work is progressing rapidly on the first 200 megawatts of capacity, which is expected to be completed by 2026." https://gulfnews.com/business/markets/stargate-uae-first-phase-of-200mw-to-complete-by-2026-1.500310364 +[^19]: "Photos: Tech CEOs mingle with Trump and Saudi crown prince at investment forum in Riyadh," *NBC* (NBC San Diego), May 13, 2025. The article names "OpenAI CEO Sam Altman" among the executives present; the Reuters photograph caption reads "OpenAI CEO Sam Altman looks on as he visits Riyadh with U.S. President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk (both not pictured), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025." https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/business/money-report/photos-tech-ceos-mingle-with-trump-and-saudi-crown-prince-at-investment-forum-in-riyadh/3824637 +[^20]: Reuters report on the secondary sale, as reproduced by *Wamda*, October 8, 2025: "MGX has participated in a $6.6 billion secondary share sale in OpenAI," at a valuation of "around $500 billion." Named participants: Thrive Capital, SoftBank, Dragoneer, T. Rowe Price and MGX. https://www.wamda.com/en/2025/10/mgx-joins-6-6-billion-openai-share-sale-valuing-chatgpt-maker-500-billion +[^21]: Bloomberg, "OpenAI Set to Raise $10 Billion From MGX, Coatue, Thrive," March 24, 2026, as reproduced by Bloomberg Government: "Andreessen Horowitz, Abu Dhabi's MGX, D.E. Shaw Ventures, TPG and T. Rowe Price will co-lead the financing, which is set to close next week, the company told Bloomberg Tuesday. Coatue Management, Thrive Capital and Altimeter Capital are also set to participate." https://news.bgov.com/california-brief/openai-set-to-raise-10-billion-from-mgx-coatue-thrive-2 +[^22]: Coldewey, Devin, "Former NSA head joins OpenAI board and safety committee," *TechCrunch*, June 13, 2024: "Former head of the National Security Agency, retired Gen. Paul Nakasone, will join OpenAI's board of directors, the AI company announced Thursday afternoon. He will also sit on the board's 'security and safety' subcommittee." https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/13/former-nsa-head-joins-openai-board-and-safety-committee +[^23]: *Defense News*, "Anduril, OpenAI join to boost counter-drone tech for US bases, troops," December 5, 2024: "Anduril and OpenAI will partner to improve the military's counter-drone capabilities." https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2024/12/05/anduril-openai-join-to-boost-counter-drone-tech-for-us-bases-troops/ +[^24]: Los Alamos National Laboratory, "Los Alamos Lab partners with OpenAI to boost national security," January 30, 2025: the Venado machine "will be moved to a secure, classified network where it will be a shared resource for researchers from Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, and Sandia national labs." https://www.lanl.gov/media/news/0130-open-ai +[^25]: Los Alamos National Laboratory, "Lab launches frontier AI models on the Venado supercomputer," August 28, 2025: "the Venado supercomputer at Los Alamos National Laboratory is now running OpenAI's latest o3 reasoning model to accelerate national security research." https://www.lanl.gov/media/news/0828-venado-ai-models +[^26]: *DefenseScoop*, June 17, 2025: the Department of Defense contracts list announced on June 16, 2025 that the CDAO "had awarded a $200 million prototype other transaction agreement to OpenAI Public Sector" to "develop prototype frontier AI capabilities to address critical national security challenges in both warfighting and enterprise domains"; "The estimated completion date for the work is July 2026"; OpenAI's phrase "identify and prototype how frontier AI can transform its administrative operations." https://defensescoop.com/2025/06/17/pentagon-openai-frontier-ai-projects-cdao/ +[^27]: General Services Administration, "GSA Announces New Partnership with OpenAI, Delivering Deep Discount to ChatGPT Gov-Wide Through MAS," August 6, 2025: "$1 per agency pricing for ChatGPT." https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/newsroom/news-releases/gsa-announces-new-partnership-with-openai-delivering-deep-discount-to-chatgpt-08062025 +[^28]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Saudi National Arrested for Installing Surreptitious Audio Recording Device at OpenAI," press release 26-1173, October 13, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/saudi-national-arrested-installing-surreptitious-audio-recording-device-openai +[^29]: "Hacker accessed OpenAI's internal AI details in 2023 breach: report," *Fox Business,* July 7, 2024, summarizing the *New York Times* report of July 4, 2024: "OpenAI executives told employees and the company's board about the breach at an all-hands meeting in April 2023." https://www-ak-ms.foxbusiness.com/technology/hacker-accessed-openais-internal-ai-details-2023-breach-report +[^30]: Coldewey, Devin, "OpenAI breach is a reminder that AI companies are treasure troves for hackers," *TechCrunch,* July 5, 2024: "The New York Times reported the hack in more detail after former OpenAI employee Leopold Aschenbrenner hinted at it recently in a podcast." https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/05/openai-breach-is-a-reminder-that-ai-companies-are-treasure-troves-for-hackers/ +[^31]: Aschenbrenner, Leopold, interview with Dwarkesh Patel, June 4, 2024, transcript at approximately 02:33: "egregiously insufficient to protect against the theft of model weights or key algorithmic secrets from foreign actors"; "A few weeks later, a major security incident occurred"; "I got an official HR warning for sharing the memo with the board"; "The HR person told me it was racist to worry about CCP espionage and that it was unconstructive." https://www.dwarkesh.com/p/leopold-aschenbrenner +[^32]: U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, press release of August 4, 2026 (https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/civil-rights-division-secures-settlement-openai-discriminating-against-us-workers); Reuters report datelined August 4, 2026, carried by *The Star* (Malaysia): "The company denied wrongdoing in the settlement agreement." https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2026/08/05/openai-pays-32-million-in-us-probe-over-hiring-foreign-workers +[^33]: *SiliconANGLE*, "OpenAI details expanding efforts to disrupt malicious use of AI in new report," October 7, 2025 (summarizing the OpenAI threat report): alleged China-linked groups "were found to be crafting phishing content and debugging malware targeting Taiwan's semiconductor sector, U.S. academia and political groups"; users "sought assistance designing social media monitoring tools, profiling dissidents and generating propaganda proposals." https://siliconangle.com/2025/10/07/openai-details-expanding-efforts-disrupt-malicious-use-ai-new-report/ +[^34]: Anthropic, threat intelligence report published November 13, 2025, stating that the threat actor was "a Chinese state-sponsored group" that targeted "roughly thirty global targets." https://www.anthropic.com/news/disrupting-AI-espionage diff --git a/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/RAED Ventures.md b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/RAED Ventures.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..c01e5d79 --- /dev/null +++ b/20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/RAED Ventures.md @@ -0,0 +1,274 @@ +--- +aliases: + - RAED Ventures + - Raed Ventures + - RAED Ventures Company + - Raed Ventures Company + - Raed VC + - RAED VC + - رائد فنتشرز +category: "Private Organization" +tags: + - Organization + - RaedVentures + - VentureCapital + - SaudiArabia + - Almajdouie + - AbdulrahmanAlfozan + - KhalidBinBaderAlSaud + - SaudiVentureCapitalCompany + - JadaFundOfFunds + - PublicInvestmentFund + - RiyadhValleyCompany + - Mozn + - ClearGrid + - EchelonCompany + - OpenAI + - ArtificialIntelligence +summary: "Riyadh venture firm launched by Omar Almajdouie around 2015, backed by Jada, the Saudi Venture Capital Company and Riyadh Valley Company, with Abdulrahman Alfozan and Prince Khalid as venture partners." +location: "Riyadh, Saudi Arabia" +created: 2026-10-13 +updated: 2026-10-13 +relations: + - type: founded + with: "[[Omar Almajdouie]]" + reverse: true + start: 2015-12 + role: "founding partner; began establishing the firm at the end of 2015" + fn: 2 + - type: founded + with: "[[Saed Nashef]]" + reverse: true + role: "founding partner" + fn: 1 + - type: founded + with: "[[Talal Alasmari]]" + reverse: true + role: "founding partner" + fn: 1 + - type: founded + with: "[[Almajdouie Holding]]" + reverse: true + start: 2015 + role: "establishing entity, per the Jada listing" + fn: 3 + - type: funded + with: "[[Jada Fund of Funds]]" + reverse: true + start: 2020 + role: "invested in RAED II LP in 2020; Jada owned by the Public Investment Fund" + fn: 3 + - type: funded + with: "[[Riyadh Valley Company]]" + reverse: true + start: 2024-09-03 + role: "investor in RAED III LP; investment arm of King Saud University" + fn: 7 + - type: funded + with: "[[Saudi Venture Capital Company]]" + reverse: true + start: 2024-12 + role: "investor in Raed III L.P., amount undisclosed" + fn: 8 + - type: funded + with: "[[Mubadala]]" + reverse: true + role: "listed by Omar Almajdouie's speaker biography among the firm's backers" + fn: 4 + - type: funded + with: "[[Mozn]]" + start: 2022-02-03 + role: "led $10 million Series A" + fn: 31 + - type: funded + with: "[[Crowd Analyzer]]" + start: 2018-08 + role: "participant in $1.1 million pre-Series A led by Wamda Capital" + fn: 35 + - type: funded + with: "[[Lamaa]]" + start: 2021-12 + role: "co-led $5.5 million round with Saudi Aramco" + fn: 11 + - type: funded + with: "[[ClearGrid]]" + start: 2025-03-19 + role: "investor" + fn: 22 + - type: funded + with: "[[Echelon (company)]]" + start: 2026-10-07 + role: "investor in undisclosed round alongside East40 and Avra" + fn: 23 + - type: funded + with: "[[Signit]]" + start: 2026-04 + role: "lead investor in $15 million Series A" + fn: 30 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Wael Nafee]]" + reverse: true + start: 2021-11-08 + role: "partner, later general partner" + fn: 17 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]]" + reverse: true + start: 2025-02-06 + role: "venture partner" + fn: 18 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Abdulrahman Alfozan]]" + reverse: true + start: 2025-02-08 + role: "venture partner" + fn: 19 + - type: employed_by + with: "[[Kushal Shah]]" + reverse: true + start: 2025-10-09 + role: "growth venture partner (announcement title); venture partner (team page title)" + fn: 21 +--- + +RAED Ventures (رائد فنتشرز) is an early-stage venture capital firm headquartered in [[Riyadh]] that invests in technology companies in the [[Middle East and North Africa]] and describes its focus as [[Saudi Arabia]] and the wider GCC.[^1] [[Omar Almajdouie]], [[Saed Nashef]] and [[Talal Alasmari]] are its founding partners. The team page live on October 13, 2026 lists [[Wael Nafee]] as general partner, and [[Kushal Shah]], [[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]] and [[Abdulrahman Alfozan]] as venture partners.[^1] + +### Founding and founders + +Raed's Arabic team page, captured in May 2023, says Omar Almajdouie began establishing and launching the firm at the end of 2015.[^2] A listing for the firm on the [[Jada Fund of Funds]] portfolio page names the management team as Omar Almajdouie, Talal Alasmari and Saed Nashef and says the firm was established by [[Almajdouie Holding]] in 2015.[^3] Almajdouie's speaker biography for the RLC Global Forum says he founded the firm in 2016 as part of Almajdouie Holding's diversification strategy, that its assets under management exceed SAR 500 million, that it is backed by "PIF's Jada, SVC, Mubadala, Almajdouie Holding and many more," and that it has funded more than 40 startups. The same biography lists him as vice chairman of the Saudi Venture Capital and Private Equity Association.[^4] A profile in [[Entrepreneur Middle East]] dated February 23, 2026 says the firm was founded in 2016 as one of the Kingdom's first privately owned venture capital funds and has three funds and more than 60 portfolio companies.[^5] + +The live team page describes the three founding partners as follows. Almajdouie has two decades of senior leadership experience and over a decade in venture investing, was chief executive of [[Almajdouie Manufacturing]] before establishing Raed, and sits on the boards of [[Majd Investments]], [[Lean Technologies]], [[Mozn]] and the [[Middle East Venture Capital Association]]. Nashef co-founded [[Sadara Ventures]], described as one of the region's first venture capital firms and the first to launch a fund established in Palestine in 2011, whose investors the page lists as Cisco, the [[European Investment Bank]], Soros and [[Google.org]]; he began as a software engineer at [[Microsoft]] in 1994 and in 2011 became the first Kauffman Fellow in the Arab Middle East. Alasmari co-founded Tarmeez, Lamma and Modha, the last of which the page says was acquired by a Saudi family office in 2014, and represents Raed on the boards and committees of [[Wafeq]] and [[Rabbit]].[^1] A DealStreetAsia item of May 25, 2023 carries a photograph captioned "Saed Nashef, founding partner, Raed Ventures."[^6] + +### Funds and vintages + +The firm's vehicles appear in investor records as RAED II LP and RAED III LP. + +- Fund I: the firm began at the end of 2015 or in 2016 (see above), and the Entrepreneur Middle East profile counts three funds in all.[^2][^5] +- RAED II LP: the Jada listing gives a vintage year of 2020 and a fund size of 562.5, with no currency or unit stated beside the figure, and states "Jada invested in RAED II LP in 2020." The header of the same Jada page gives Jada's own totals as 36 funds invested and SAR 3.1 billion committed capital.[^3] +- RAED III LP: [[DealStreetAsia]] reported on May 25, 2023 that the firm had kicked off fundraising for a third vehicle; the report states "The $150-million fund will invest in early-stage startups in the MENA region."[^6] [[Riyadh Valley Company]], the investment arm of [[King Saud University]], announced on September 3, 2024 that it had invested in RAED III LP. The release describes the firm as focusing on Saudi Arabia, the [[United Arab Emirates]] and [[Egypt]], in fintech, transportation services and retail, with an emphasis on software-as-a-service models. Its chief executive, Dr. [[Khalid Al-Saleh]], said the investment fell within the company's specialization and contributed to the development of the local knowledge economy.[^7] The [[Saudi Venture Capital Company]] (SVC) announced in December 2024 that it had invested, for an undisclosed amount, in Raed III L.P., described as an early-stage fund for tech-enabled startups, particularly in fintech, enterprise software and B2B SaaS, with a focus on Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Its chief executive and board member, [[Nabeel Koshak]], said the investment aligns with the company's strategy of backing private funds.[^8] The Arabic financial daily [[Al Iqtisadiah]] reported the same investment on December 19, 2024 and described SVC as founded in 2018 and as a subsidiary of [[Bank Al-Mensha'at]], the small and medium enterprise bank, which belongs to the National Development Fund.[^9] + +### Saudi government-linked investors + +Jada was established by a decision of the [[Council of Ministers]] in 2016 with a starting capital of SAR 4 billion, and it is owned by the [[Public Investment Fund]]. Its mandate is to invest in private equity and venture capital funds that support small and medium enterprises.[^10] Its investment in RAED II LP dates from 2020.[^3] SVC invested in Raed III from December 2024 and sits under the SME bank, which Al Iqtisadiah places within the National Development Fund.[^8][^9] Riyadh Valley Company, an investor in Raed III from September 3, 2024, describes itself as the investment arm of King Saud University, a public university.[^7] Almajdouie's biography adds [[Mubadala]] of [[Abu Dhabi]] to the list of backers.[^4] The firm's own founding sponsor is the Almajdouie group, which the Jada listing names as the entity that established the firm.[^3] + +[[Saudi Aramco]] co-led the $5.5 million investment in [[Lamaa]] with Raed Ventures, which the firm's news page lists under December 1, 2021.[^11] + +### Jada and SVC Governance + +The chairman of Jada Fund of Funds is listed on the company's own leadership page as [[Omar Al-Madhi]], who is described there as "the Co-head of MENA Direct Investments at the Public Investment Fund." The vice chairman is [[Eyas Al-Dossari]]. The same page lists [[Hani Enaya]] as a board member and describes him as "Chief Investment Officer at Sanabil Investments, Vice Chairman of the Saudi Venture Capital Company, and a founding member of the Saudi Venture Capital and Private Equity Association."[^12] The page lists [[Bandr Alhomaly]] as presiding chief executive officer.[^12] The company's own history page states that Jada was "established by the Public Investment Fund (PIF)."[^13] + +On June 3, 2026, the board of Saudi Venture Capital Company issued a decision appointing [[Nora Al-Sarhan]] as chief executive, effective July 1, 2026. The article states that Nabeel Koshak will remain a member of the board.[^14] + +The SuperReturn Saudi Arabia speaker profile gives Al-Madhi as "Chairman of the Board and Chairman of the Remuneration & Nominations Committee of Jada the Fund of Funds."[^15] Jada's history page lists the appointment of "Jada's Chairman Mr. Mazen Aljubeir" in a timeline running from 2018, and an Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington analysis of February 24, 2020 names Mazen al-Jubeir, managing director of Jawaris Limited and a board member of the Public Pension Agency, as chairman.[^13][^16] + +### Partners and team + +The team page live on October 13, 2026 lists these roles.[^1] Omar Almajdouie, Saed Nashef and Talal Alasmari are founding partners. Wael Nafee is general partner, formerly vice president of product at [[Careem]], and a founder of a startup that the page describes as the first MENA startup to join the [[Y Combinator]] accelerator. The firm announced his appointment as partner on November 8, 2021.[^17] + +Venture partners, with the dates on the firm's own announcements: + +- Prince Khalid bin Bader Al Saud: announced February 6, 2025 (English and Arabic releases).[^18] +- Abdulrahman Alfozan: announced February 8, 2025 in the English release and February 10, 2025 in the Arabic release.[^19][^20] +- Kushal Shah: announced October 9, 2025 under the title "Growth Venture Partner." The announcement says he spearheaded the growth investment team of e& Capital, was a senior partner at Roland Berger advising governments and Fortune 500 companies, and is the founder of Dubai Angel Investors. The team page says he is an economist educated at the [[University of Cambridge]] and a chartered accountant, spent more than 20 years as a partner at strategy consulting firms, led the corporate venture fund of [[e&]] and deployed USD 180 million there between 2022 and 2025, joined Raed in 2025, and runs a small private equity fund focused on pet care.[^1][^21] + +[[Husain Fekri]] is head of investor relations; his biography on the page lists prior work at GIB Asset Management in London, a bachelor's degree from the University of Leeds and a master's from the London School of Economics. The team also lists [[Yomna Abousamra]], senior associate; [[Uday Singh]], [[Waleed Abdelshafy]] and [[Abdulrahman Alhashim]], investment associates; [[Arsalan Yousuf]], head of finance and operations; [[Aashish Dhaawan]], head of compliance and risk; and [[Tausif Qureshi]], senior operations associate. [[Seth Levine]], [[Abdulla Elyas]] and [[Tino Waked]] are listed as advisors.[^1] + +### Khalid bin Bader Al Saud + +The team page describes Khalid bin Bader Al Saud as a venture partner with "extensive experience and a world class network in investment and startup financing." The same page says he is co-founder and chairman of [[ClearGrid]], an AI-powered collections infrastructure startup, and managing director and vice chairman of [[East40 Holding]], which the page describes as a private institutional family office established in 2025.[^1] The firm's English release of February 6, 2025 described him as "MD & Vice Chairman of his family's private office." The Arabic release of the same date gives the same title and describes him as an investment partner.[^18] + +ClearGrid, a [[Dubai]]-based company founded in May 2023, announced $10 million in March 2025, made up of $3.5 million in pre-seed and $6.5 million in seed funding. [[TechCrunch]] reported that Khalid bin Bader Al Saud co-founded ClearGrid with chief executive [[Mohammad Al Zaben]] and [[Mohammad Al-Khalili]], and that Raed Ventures is among its investors.[^22] + +On October 7, 2026, [[Echelon (company)]], a Saudi AI deployment firm founded in Riyadh by Khalid bin Bader Al Saud, raised an undisclosed round from East40, RAED Ventures and [[Avra]], with [[Ben Horowitz]] and other investors participating. The article says Echelon serves enterprises and government entities and plans an engineering arm and an institute in the fourth quarter of 2026 and a defense division, Echelon Defense Industries, in the first quarter of 2027.[^23] + +### Abdulrahman Alfozan + +The firm announced Abdulrahman Alfozan as a venture partner on February 8, 2025 in its English release, and on February 10, 2025 in the Arabic release.[^19][^20] The English release described him as then a founding engineer at [[Nash (company)]], a five-year senior engineer at [[Meta Platforms]] focused on machine learning and data platforms, and a person with roles at Microsoft and [[SAP]] who studied computer science and engineering at [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]. The release quotes Omar Almajdouie, identified as founding partner, welcoming him.[^19] + +The version of the team page captured on January 23, 2026 gives his current role as "Engineering Lead at [[OpenAI]], with a focus on AI Agents and the data platform," retains the Nash, Meta, Microsoft and SAP history, and states: "Abdulrahman holds a degree in Computer Science and Engineering from MIT." The page live on October 13, 2026 carries the same text.[^1] + +Two other records give different degree information. The [[San Francisco Standard]] reported on October 13, 2026 that his LinkedIn profile lists a master's degree in data science from the [[University of California, Berkeley]].[^24] The LinkedIn profile also lists MIT projects from 2012 and 2013, among them MAS.863, a digital fabrication course, and Lounge, a web-based housing platform that placed second in the MIT 2013 iCampus competition.[^25] The DOJ release gives his OpenAI start as July 2025; the LinkedIn entry gives September 2025.[^25][^26] + +### Team page history + +The firm's roster across archived versions of its site: + +- The about pages captured on September 19, 2024, March 22, 2025, May 21, 2025 and August 21, 2025 list Omar Almajdouie, Saed Nashef and Talal Alasmari as founding partners and Wael Nafee as "Partner."[^27] +- The homepage captured on May 19, 2025 lists the founding partners and Wael Nafee as "Partner." The homepage captured on August 21, 2025 adds Khalid bin Bader Al Saud and Abdulrahman Alfozan as "Venture partner" and lists Wael Nafee as "General Partner."[^28] +- The about page captured on January 23, 2026 lists both men as "Venture Partner" and carries the OpenAI wording in Alfozan's biography. The homepage captured the same day adds Kushal Shah and carries the same wording.[^27][^28] +- The Arabic team page captured on May 29, 2023 lists the founders, [[Iyad Alharbi]] as senior associate, Yomna Abousamra, [[Omar Shargawi]] and Arsalan Yousuf.[^2] +- The about page and homepage live on October 13, 2026 list Kushal Shah, Khalid bin Bader Al Saud and Abdulrahman Alfozan as venture partners, and add Tausif Qureshi as senior operations associate.[^1] + +The firm's news page, captured on October 13, 2026, lists these items in descending order of date: Think (July 15, 2026), Signit (April 20, 2026), Aya (April 16, 2026), the Kushal Shah appointment (October 9, 2025), ClearGrid (March 20, 2025), Aya (March 10, 2025, two items), the Alfozan appointment (February 8, 2025), the Khalid bin Bader Al Saud appointment (February 6, 2025) and Rize (January 19, 2025).[^11] + +### Portfolio + +The firm's portfolio page, as captured in March 2025, lists 46 companies: 23 classed as Saudi Arabia, 10 as Egypt, 9 as UAE, and one each as USA, Jordan, Bahrain and Pakistan.[^29] Deals the firm announced or [[Wamda]] reported include the following.[^30] + +- [[Signit]], an AI contract management company, closed a $15 million Series A led by Raed Ventures in 2026. +- [[Think (company)]], a Saudi AI infrastructure startup, closed an $8 million pre-seed round in July 2026. Wamda lists Raed Ventures as co-lead, with [[Wa'ed Ventures]] also tagged. +- [[XSquare]] raised a pre-seed round in August 2026 with Raed Ventures participating. +- [[Rize]] closed a $35 million Series A led by Raed Ventures in 2025. +- [[Halo AI]] closed a $6 million seed round led by Raed Ventures with [[Shorooq]] in 2025. +- [[SiFi]] closed a $10 million seed round led by [[Sanabil Investments]] and Raed Ventures in 2024. +- [[Dawul]], a social trading platform, closed a $5 million seed round led by Raed Ventures in 2022. +- Mozn closed a $10 million Series A in 2022 (see below). + +### Portfolio companies with government or security work + +Mozn. Wamda reported on February 4, 2022 that Mozn, a Riyadh company founded in 2017 by Mohammed Alhussein, Khalid Al-Ghonaim, Abdullah Alsaeed and Malik Alyousef, had raised $10 million in a Series A led by Raed Ventures with Shorooq Partners, VentureSouq, Sukna Ventures and others. The release says Mozn had recently launched its Focal AML suite, which "aims to be the one-stop shop for AML compliance and to help financial institutions and governments fight complex financial crimes."[^31] Omar Almajdouie is listed on the firm's team page as a board member of Mozn.[^1] Mozn's own industry pages describe a public sector offering for "the work government cannot get wrong," "already proven in the region's top government entities," covering central government and public finance, tax, customs and revenue, regulators, and justice and judiciary, with products for hidden-relationship and network fraud detection and an agentic investigation workbench. A defense page describes an enterprise AI platform for "organizations that are responsible for national security," deployed on-premise or fully air-gapped, covering headquarters and command support, military logistics, the defense industrial base, and "internal security, borders and civil protection."[^32] The financial-crime product FOCAL was taken to Google Cloud customers in an agreement signed at LEAP in March 2024, and bank customers announced in 2025 include STC Bank and Al Rajhi Bank.[^33] On August 4, 2026 [[HUMAIN]], a technology company backed by the Public Investment Fund, announced a strategic investment in Mozn, described as its first investment in a Saudi company, and a partnership whose initial use cases are financial crime prevention, knowledge intelligence and governance, risk and compliance for financial institutions and public sector organizations.[^34] + +Crowd Analyzer. The firm's portfolio lists Crowd Analyzer, an Egypt-classed Arabic social media monitoring tool, as an investment of 2016 with the status "Acquired."[^29] Startup Bahrain reported on August 5, 2018 that the Dubai-based company completed a $1.1 million pre-Series A round led by Wamda Capital with Faith Capital, Raed VC and Arzan Capital.[^35] Gulf News reported on November 26, 2019 a Series A of more than $3.5 million led by TechInvest with Wamda Capital, Arzan VC, Faith Capital and Daring Capital, for an Arabic-focused platform that "analyses publicly available data from social media platforms and news websites," with funds directed to expansion in Saudi Arabia and Egypt.[^36] Wamda reported on January 30, 2020 that the company acquired the activation platform TaskSpotting.[^36] + +Other entries on the portfolio page that bear on data, finance and government systems: [[Quant (company)]], a Saudi consultancy in data science and AI services (investment year 2022); Lean Technologies, an infrastructure developer providing access to consumer financial data (2020); Lamaa, software that manages bank and tax processes for small and medium enterprises (2021), whose $5.5 million round was co-led by Saudi Aramco; and [[Vectara]], an enterprise semantic search platform that the listing places in the USA with a 2020 investment year.[^11][^29] + +### United States connections + +The English and Arabic sites give an address on Anas Ibn Malik Road, Almalqa, Riyadh.[^1] The portfolio page marks one entry as USA, Vectara.[^29] Wael Nafee's biography says he founded startups in the United States and in MENA.[^1] The DOJ release places the executive conference room at issue in the case in one of OpenAI's [[San Francisco]] buildings, and Alfozan's venture partner listing on the firm's site runs from 2025.[^19][^26] + +### Abdulrahman Alfozan and the October 2026 arrest + +On October 13, 2026 the [[United States Department of Justice]] announced that Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, a Saudi national, was arrested on October 9 and charged with using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications. The release states that he had been employed as an engineer at OpenAI since July 2025, and names Assistant United States Attorney [[Nicolas Parker]] for the [[Northern District of California]] as the prosecutor.[^26] + +The San Francisco Standard reported the same day that the offense carries up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on conviction, and that a detention hearing before Magistrate Judge [[Alex G. Tse]] is set for October 19. It gives his prior employers as Nash, from 2022 to August 2025, and Meta Platforms, from 2017 to 2022.[^24] + +The firm's English about page and homepage, live on October 13, 2026, list him as a venture partner, and his biography gives his OpenAI role and an MIT degree.[^1][^28] + +### Footnotes + +[^1]: RAED Ventures, "About," English about page, live on October 13, 2026 (https://raed.vc/about/); Wayback capture of January 23, 2026 (https://web.archive.org/web/20260123220439/https://raed.vc/about/). Team roster, the Kushal Shah, Khalid bin Bader Al Saud, Abdulrahman Alfozan, Omar Almajdouie, Saed Nashef, Talal Alasmari, Wael Nafee and Husain Fekri biographies, and the Alfozan OpenAI wording (January 2026 capture). +[^2]: RAED Ventures, Arabic team page, Wayback capture of May 29, 2023 (https://web.archive.org/web/20230529114145/https://raed.vc/ar/team/). Arabic: "شرع عمر في تأسيس وإطلاق شركة رائد فنتشرز في أواخر عام 2015." English gloss: Omar began founding and launching RAED Ventures at the end of 2015. The same page lists the 2023 roster. +[^3]: Jada Fund of Funds, "Raed Ventures," portfolio listing, Wayback capture of January 1, 2026 (https://web.archive.org/web/20260101/https://jada.com.sa/en/portfolio/portfolio-raed). The listing gives "Vintage Year 2020," "Fund Size 562.5," "Management team Omar Almajdouie, Talal AlAsmar, Saed Nashef," and "Established by Almajdouie Holding in 2015." The page header gives "36 Number of Funds Invested" and "3.1 Committed Capital (SAR Billion)." +[^4]: Omar Almajdouie, speaker biography, RLC Global Forum (https://rlcglobalforum.com/speaker/omar-almajdouie/). Quoted: "Raed's AUM exceeds SAR 500m and backed by top investors in the region including PIF's Jada, SVC, Mubadala, Almajdouie Holding and many more"; "Omar founded Raed Ventures in 2016 as part of Almajdouie Holding diversification strategy, which has funded more than 40 innovative startups to-date"; "Vice Chairman of the Saudi Venture Capital and Private Equity Association." +[^5]: "Raed Ventures Is Betting Big on Tech and AI to Power Saudi Startups," Entrepreneur Middle East, February 23, 2026 (https://mena.entrepreneur.com/business-news/raed-ventures-is-betting-big-on-tech-and-ai-to-power-saudi-startups). Quoted: "Founded in 2016 as one of the Kingdom's first privately owned VC funds" and "With three funds under its belt, Raed Ventures has invested in over 60 portfolio companies." +[^6]: "Saudi Arabia's Raed Ventures kicks off fundraising for third vehicle," DealStreetAsia, May 25, 2023, by Kristie Neo (https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/raed-ventures-fund-iii-344810). Quoted: "The $150-million fund will invest in early-stage startups in the MENA region"; photograph caption "Saed Nashef, founding partner, Raed Ventures." +[^7]: "3 September 2024: Riyadh Valley Company Announces Investment in Raed Ventures Third Fund," Riyadh Valley Company, Wayback capture of 2024 (https://web.archive.org/web/2024/https://rvc.com.sa/en/riyadh-valley-company-announces-investment-in-raed-ventures-iii-fund/). Quoted: "Riyadh Valley Company, the investment arm of King Saud University, announces its investment in Raed Ventures' third fund (RAED III LP)." The chief executive's statement is quoted in the release. +[^8]: "SVC boosts Saudi startup ecosystem with investments in MEVP and Raed III," Sharikat Mubasher, December 22, 2024 (https://en.sharikatmubasher.com/media-hub/news/21458110/svc-boosts-saudi-startup-ecosystem-with-investments-in-mevp-and-raed-iii?lang=en). Quoted: "In addition, SVC has also invested in Raed III L.P., an early-stage venture capital fund managed by Raed Ventures." CEO quotation attributed to Nabeel Koshak, CEO and Board Member, SVC. +[^9]: Al Iqtisadiah, December 19, 2024, Arabic report on SVC's investment in Raed III (https://www.aleqt.com/2024/12/19/article_2754446.html). English gloss of the chief executive's statement: the investment in the fund managed by Raed Ventures is a continuation of SVC's strategy of supporting private investment funds focused on Saudi startups at their various stages of growth. The founding year (2018) and the Bank Al-Mensha'at ownership are from the same article. +[^10]: "Fund of Funds Company (Jada)," Saudipedia (https://saudipedia.com/en/article/976/economy-and-business/companies/fund-of-funds-company-jada). States that the company was established by a decision of the Council of Ministers in 2016 with capital of SAR 4 billion, that it is owned by the Public Investment Fund, and that it invests in private equity and venture capital funds supporting small and medium enterprises. +[^11]: RAED Ventures news page, Wayback capture of October 13, 2026 (https://web.archive.org/web/20261013212946/https://raed.vc/news/). Items include "Lamaa steals the spotlight with $5.5m investment co-led by Saudi Aramco and Raed Ventures" (1 Dec 2021). +[^12]: Jada Fund of Funds, "Jada Leadership," https://www.jada.com.sa/our-leadership. Page text: "Chairman of the Board, Omar Al-Madhi"; "Vice Chairman of the Board, Eyas Al-Dossari"; "Member, Dr. Hani Enaya." +[^13]: Jada Fund of Funds, "Our History," https://jada.com.sa/our-history. Timeline entry: "Jada Fund of Funds established by the Public Investment Fund (PIF)"; the timeline's year columns run 2018 to 2025. +[^14]: Al-Madina, "نورة السرحان رئيسا تنفيذيا لمجلس إدارة الشركة السعودية للاستثمار الجريء" (Nora Al-Sarhan as chief executive of the board of the Saudi Venture Capital Company), June 3, 2026, https://www.al-madina.com/article/991960. Arabic: "أصدر مجلس إدارة الشركة السعودية للاستثمار الجريء (SVC) اليوم، قرارًا بتعيين نورة بنت محمد السرحان"; "ابتداءً من 1 يوليو 2026م"; "أن الدكتور كوشك سيواصل إسهامه ودعمه لمسيرة الشركة من خلال استمرار عضويته في مجلس الإدارة." English gloss: the board issued a decision today appointing Nora bint Mohammed Al-Sarhan, effective July 1, 2026; Dr. Koshak remains a board member. +[^15]: SuperReturn Saudi Arabia, speaker profile of Omar Al-Madhi, https://informaconnect.com/superreturn-saudi-arabia/speakers/omar-al-madhi/. +[^16]: Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, "Saudi Fund of Funds Bets $1.07 Billion on Small, Local Firms," February 24, 2020, https://agsi.org/analysis/saudi-fund-of-funds-bets-1-07-billion-on-small-local-firms/. "Jada's chairman of the board is Mazen al-Jubeir." +[^17]: RAED Ventures, "Raed Ventures Welcomes New Partner Wael Nafee," news page dated November 8, 2021, Wayback capture of November 8, 2021 (https://web.archive.org/web/20211108182929/https://raed.vc/news/raed-ventures-welcomes-new-partner-wael-nafee/). Text: "Wael Nafee has been named Partner for Raed Ventures." +[^18]: RAED Ventures, news release Raed Ventures Welcomes New Venture Partner, H.H. Prince Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud, dated February 6, 2025 (https://raed.vc/news/raed-ventures-welcomes-new-venture-partner-h-h-prince-khalid-bin-bader-al-saud/); Wayback capture of March 23, 2025 (https://web.archive.org/web/20250323020859/https://raed.vc/news/raed-ventures-welcomes-new-venture-partner-h-h-prince-khalid-bin-bader-al-saud/). Quoted: "He also serves as the MD & Vice Chairman of his family's private office." Arabic release, "رائد فنتشرز ترحب بانضمام صاحب السمو الأمير خالد بن بدر آل سعود كشريك للاستثمار," dated February 6, 2025, Wayback capture of March 23, 2025 (https://web.archive.org/web/20250323014854/https://raed.vc/ar/news/%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%AF-%D9%81%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B4%D8%B1%D8%B2-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%AD%D8%A8-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B6%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%88-%D8%A7%D9%84/). English gloss of the Arabic title: "Raed Ventures welcomes His Highness Prince Khalid bin Bader Al Saud as an investment partner." +[^19]: RAED Ventures, news release Raed Ventures Welcomes New Venture Partner, Abdulrahman Alfozan, dated February 8, 2025 (https://raed.vc/news/raed-ventures-welcomes-new-venture-partner-abdulrahman-alfozan/); Wayback capture of March 23, 2025 (https://web.archive.org/web/20250323022105/https://raed.vc/news/raed-ventures-welcomes-new-venture-partner-abdulrahman-alfozan/). Quoted: "Currently, he is a Founding Engineer at Nash and previously spent five years at Meta (Facebook) as a Senior Engineer." +[^20]: RAED Ventures, Arabic release "رائد فنتشرز ترحب بانضمام المهندس/ عبدالرحمن الفوزان كشريك للاستثمار" ("Raed Ventures welcomes Eng. Abdulrahman Alfozan as an investment partner"), dated February 10, 2025, Wayback capture of March 23, 2025 (https://web.archive.org/web/20250323011525/https://raed.vc/ar/news/%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%AF-%D9%81%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B4%D8%B1%D8%B2-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%AD%D8%A8-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B6%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%87%D9%86%D8%AF%D8%B3-%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A7/). The Arabic text describes him as a founding engineer at Nash and repeats the career history of the English release. +[^21]: RAED Ventures, "Raed Ventures Welcomes New Growth Venture Partner - Kushal Shah," news page, publication metadata 2025-10-09 (https://raed.vc/news/raed-ventures-welcomes-new-growth-venture-partner-kushal-shah/). Quoted: "Raed Ventures is pleased to welcome Kushal Shah as Growth Venture Partner." +[^22]: "ClearGrid, armed with a fresh $10M, is developing AI to improve debt collection in MENA," RAED Ventures news page, Wayback capture of January 23, 2026 (https://web.archive.org/web/20260123/https://raed.vc/news/cleargrid-armed-with-a-fresh-10m-is-developing-ai-to-improve-debt-collection-in-mena/). Original: "ClearGrid, armed with $10M, uses AI to fix debt collection in MENA," TechCrunch, March 19, 2025 (https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/19/cleargrid-armed-with-10m-uses-ai-to-fix-debt-collection-in-mena). Quoted from TechCrunch: "ClearGrid's investors include Middle East and North Africa-focused VCs Beco Capital, Nuwa Capital, and Raed Ventures." Co-founder names from the TechCrunch text: "Al Zaben and his co-founders, Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud and Mohammad Al-Khalili." The firm's repost spells the second co-founder Mohammed AlKhalili. +[^23]: "Saudi AI startup Echelon secures backing from East40, RAED Ventures and Avra," Wamda, October 7, 2026 (https://www.wamda.com/ar/2026/10/saudi-ai-startup-echelon-secures-backing-east40-raed-ventures-avra). Quoted: "backed by East40, RAED Ventures and Avra, alongside Ben Horowitz and other investors." Founding year 2025; planned Frontier and Institute launches in Q4 2026 and Echelon Defense Industries in Q1 2027. +[^24]: "OpenAI engineer arrested for alleged bugging of executive conference room," The San Francisco Standard, October 13, 2026 (https://sfstandard.com/2026/10/13/openai-engineer-arrested-alleged-bugging-executive-conference-room/). Quoted: "He has a master's degree in data science from UC Berkeley, the LinkedIn profile says." Detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alex G. Tse set for Oct. 19. Penalty: up to five years and a $250,000 fine on conviction. Prior employers: Nash, 2022 to August 2025; Meta, 2017 to 2022. +[^25]: LinkedIn, public profile of Abdulrahman Alfozan, logged-out view captured October 13, 2026 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alfozan), as transcribed on the Abdulrahman Alfozan page: MIT projects 2012 and 2013 (MAS.863; Lounge, MIT 2013 iCampus second place); OpenAI role start September 2025. +[^26]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Saudi national arrested for installing surreptitious audio recording device at OpenAI," October 13, 2026 (https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/saudi-national-arrested-installing-surreptitious-audio-recording-device-openai). Quoted: "Alfozan had been employed as an engineer by OpenAI since July 2025." The release describes the arrest as taking place on Oct. 9 and states that "Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicolas Parker for the Northern District of California is prosecuting the case." +[^27]: RAED Ventures about page, Wayback captures of September 19, 2024 (https://web.archive.org/web/20240919082239/https://raed.vc/about/), March 22, 2025 (https://web.archive.org/web/20250322045647/https://raed.vc/about/), May 21, 2025 (https://web.archive.org/web/20250521184605/https://raed.vc/about/), August 21, 2025 (https://web.archive.org/web/20250821040828/https://raed.vc/about/), and January 23, 2026 (https://web.archive.org/web/20260123220439/https://raed.vc/about/). +[^28]: RAED Ventures homepage, Wayback captures of May 19, 2025 (https://web.archive.org/web/20250519075219/https://raed.vc/), August 21, 2025 (https://web.archive.org/web/20250821032650/https://raed.vc/), January 23, 2026 (https://web.archive.org/web/20260123220000/https://raed.vc/), and March 4, 2026 (https://web.archive.org/web/20260304112930/https://raed.vc/); live page on October 13, 2026 (https://raed.vc/). +[^29]: RAED Ventures portfolio page, Wayback capture of March 23, 2025 (https://web.archive.org/web/20250323002247/https://raed.vc/portfolio/). Counts as printed on the page: "All (46)," "Saudi Arabia (23)," "Egypt (10)," "UAE (9)," "USA (1)," "Jordan (1)," "Bahrain (1)," "Pakistan (1)." Entries quoted or paraphrased: Vectara, Crowd Analyzer, Mozn, Quant, Lean, Lamaa, ClearGrid. +[^30]: Wamda, "Raed Ventures" tag page (https://www.wamda.com/en/tag/Raed%20Ventures), accessed October 13, 2026. Headlines and dates as listed: "Signit raises $15 million Series A led by Raed Ventures" (2026); "Think gears up for GCC expansion with $8 million pre-seed funding" (July 2026); "XSquare raises pre-Seed round to expand into Saudi Arabia" (August 2026); "Rize closes $35 million Series A led by Raed Ventures" (2025); "Halo AI closes $6 million Seed led by Raed Ventures, Shorooq" (2025); "SiFi closes $10 million Seed led by Sanabil Investments, RAED Ventures" (2024); "Saudi AI startup Mozn raises $10 million Series A funding" (2022); "Dawul raises $5 million in Seed round led by RAED Ventures" (2022). Lead and co-lead roles are as the tag listing records them. +[^31]: "Saudi AI startup Mozn raises $10 million Series A funding," Wamda, February 4, 2022 (https://www.wamda.com/en/2022/02/saudi-ai-startup-mozn-raises-10-million-series-funding). Quoted: "The funding round is led by Raed Ventures with participation from Shorooq Partners, VentureSouq, Sukna Ventures and other investors"; "Focal aims to be the one-stop shop for AML compliance and to help financial institutions and governments fight complex financial crimes." RAED's news listing prints the item as 3 Feb 2022. +[^32]: MOZN, "Public Sector" (https://www.mozn.sa/industries/public-sector) and "Defense" (https://www.mozn.sa/industries/defense), pages retrieved October 13, 2026. Quoted: "Enterprise AI platform for the work government cannot get wrong"; "already proven in the region's top government entities"; "Enterprise AI platform for ensuring the highest standards of efficiency and effectiveness for organizations that are responsible for national security. Deployed on-premise or fully air-gapped"; landscape headings "Headquarters & Command Support," "Military Logistics & Sustainment," "Defense Industrial Base & Localization," "Internal Security, Borders & Civil Protection." +[^33]: "Saudi Arabia's Mozn partners with Google Cloud to combat financial crime," Arab News, March 6, 2024 (https://www.arabnews.com/node/2471571/business-economy); "STC Bank partners with Mozn to strengthen financial crime prevention with FOCAL platform," Saudi Gazette, October 2025 (https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/655488/BUSINESS/STC-Bank-partners-with-Mozn-to-strengthen-financial-crime-prevention-through-FOCAL-platform); "AlRajhi Bank partners with Mozn to harness AI in the fight against fraud," Mozn, October 2025 (https://www.mozn.sa/blog/alrajhi-bank-partners-with-mozn-to-harness-ai-in-the-fight-against-fraud). +[^34]: "Saudi AI firm MOZN secures strategic investment from HUMAIN," Wamda, August 2026 (https://www.wamda.com/en/2026/08/saudi-ai-firm-mozn-secures-strategic-investment-humain); BV Swagath, "HUMAIN invests in and partners with MOZN," Verdict, August 4, 2026 (https://www.verdict.co.uk/humain-mozn-enterprise-ai-partnership/): "HUMAIN, a technology company backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), has announced a strategic investment in MOZN." HUMAIN chief executive Tareq Amin is quoted in the release: "Our first investment in a Saudi company with MOZN." +[^35]: "Social media monitoring platform Crowd Analyzer scores $1.1 milion in latest funding by Wamda," Startup Bahrain, August 5, 2018 (https://startupbahrain.com/blog/social-media-monitoring-platform-crowd-analyzer-scores-1-1-milion-in-latest-funding-by-wamda). The pre-Series A "also saw contributions from regional venture capital firms such as Faith Capital, Raed VC, and Arzan Capital." +[^36]: "Start-up Crowd Analyzer gets $3.5m from Mideast investors," Gulf News, November 26, 2019 (https://gulfnews.com/business/start-up-crowd-analyzer-gets-35m-from-mideast-investors-1.68096345); "Crowd Analyzer acquires brand activation platform TaskSpotting," Wamda, January 30, 2020 (https://wamda.com/2020/01/crowd-analyzer-acquires-brand-activation-platform-taskspotting). diff --git a/40 - EVENTS/INTELLIGENCE_SCANDALS/Twitter Saudi espionage case.md b/40 - EVENTS/INTELLIGENCE_SCANDALS/Twitter Saudi espionage case.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..55e5a109 --- /dev/null +++ b/40 - EVENTS/INTELLIGENCE_SCANDALS/Twitter Saudi espionage case.md @@ -0,0 +1,129 @@ +--- +aliases: + - United States v. Abouammo + - United States v. Ahmad Abouammo + - United States v. Abouammo et al. + - Twitter spy case + - Twitter Saudi spy case + - Abouammo case +category: "Intelligence Scandal" +tags: + - Event + - Twitter + - SaudiArabia + - ForeignAgent + - Espionage + - FederalCase + - MiSK + - Khashoggi + - Abouammo +summary: "Federal case against former Twitter employees Ahmad Abouammo and Ali Alzabarah for obtaining Saudi critics' account data for Saudi officials; Abouammo was convicted in 2022 and resentenced in 2025." +start: 2014-06 +end: 2026-06-11 +created: 2026-10-13 +updated: 2026-10-13 +location: "San Francisco, California" +relations: + - type: prosecuted + with: "[[Ahmad Abouammo]]" + start: 2019-11-19 + fn: 1 + - type: prosecuted + with: "[[Ali Alzabarah]]" + start: 2019-11-19 + fn: 1 + - type: prosecuted + with: "[[Ahmed Almutairi]]" + start: 2019-11-19 + fn: 1 + - type: participant_in + with: "[[Bader al-Asaker]]" + reverse: true + role: "identified in the Ninth Circuit opinion as Bader Binasaker, the official who made the payments; not a defendant" + fn: 2 + - type: investigated + with: "[[Federal Bureau of Investigation]]" + fn: 5 +--- + +The Twitter Saudi espionage case is the federal prosecution in the [[United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California|Northern District of California]] of two former [[Twitter]] employees, [[Ahmad Abouammo]] and [[Ali Alzabarah]], and a Saudi intermediary, [[Ahmed Almutairi]], for acting as agents of the [[Saudi Arabia|Kingdom of Saudi Arabia]] without notice to the [[Department of Justice|Attorney General]]. Prosecutors alleged that the two employees used their access to nonpublic account data to give Saudi officials information about Twitter users who criticized the Saudi government. Abouammo was convicted on six counts in August 2022, sentenced to 42 months in prison, and resentenced to time served in June 2025 after the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit]] vacated the first sentence.[^1][^2][^3] + +### Charges + +A criminal complaint naming Abouammo, Alzabarah and Almutairi was filed on November 5, 2019, with an affidavit by [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] Special Agent Letitia Wu.[^4] The Justice Department announced the charges on November 7, 2019: Abouammo had been arrested in Seattle on November 5, and Alzabarah and Almutairi, who was also known as Ahmed Aljbreen, were believed to be in Saudi Arabia, with federal warrants issued for their arrest. The release gave the maximum penalty for acting as an agent of a foreign government without notification as 10 years and for falsifying records as 20 years.[^5] The indictment of November 19, 2019 charged all three with acting as agents of the government of Saudi Arabia, and charged Abouammo with obstruction for providing false documents to the FBI about his payments from a Saudi official.[^1] A superseding indictment filed on July 28, 2020 added counts for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and honest services fraud, wire fraud, money laundering under 18 U.S.C. 1956, and falsification of records under 18 U.S.C. 1519.[^6] + +### Insider access + +Abouammo worked at Twitter from November 2013 to May 2015 as a media partnerships manager. The complaint says that he accessed the private data of Twitter users through Twitter's internal systems, including email addresses, telephone numbers and IP addresses, for purposes it describes as having no legitimate business use.[^4] The Ninth Circuit names the internal tool as "Profile Viewer." Abouammo moved to Seattle in May 2015 and started a freelance social media consultancy, through which he introduced Saudi contacts to Twitter employees and acted as an intermediary on verification requests.[^2] + +Alzabarah was a site reliability engineer at Twitter in San Francisco from August 2013 to December 2015. The complaint states that he entered the United States in 2005, that he resided in San Bruno, California, from at least 2014 until December 3, 2015, and that he was funded by a Saudi Arabian scholarship.[^4] Between May 21 and November 18, 2015, the complaint alleges, Alzabarah accessed the data of more than 6,000 Twitter users, including at least 33 usernames for which Saudi law enforcement had submitted emergency disclosure requests to Twitter.[^4] The Justice Department release of November 7, 2019 placed the recruitment between November 2014 and May 2015 and stated that Almutairi arranged meetings and acted as a go-between.[^5] + +### Recruitment and the official + +Almutairi, a Saudi citizen, controlled a Saudi social media marketing company from at least May 2014 to at least March 2016 that performed work for the charity known as Organization-1 and for members of the royal family.[^6] The complaint describes him as an intermediary between Alzabarah and the official it calls Foreign Official-1.[^4] In November 2014 he met Abouammo in front of the Twitter office in San Francisco and described himself as the adviser to a senior member of the Saudi royal family.[^4] In February 2015 he telephoned Alzabarah, had dinner with him, and posted a photograph of the two on his own account with a comment that Alzabarah was the only Saudi Arabian who worked at Twitter.[^4] + +The complaint describes Foreign Official-1 as the secretary general of a charitable organization founded by a member of the royal family, and says that he became the head of that royal family member's private office in early 2015.[^4][^6] The Justice Department's sentencing release describes the official as the head of the "private office" of a royal family member who was a Minister of State and then became Minister of Defense and Deputy Crown Prince.[^7] The Ninth Circuit's opinion names the official as Bader Binasaker, describes him as a close associate and "right-hand-man" of Saudi Crown Prince [[Mohammed bin Salman]], and states that he was appointed secretary general of the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation, known as [[MiSK Foundation|MiSK]], in 2011.[^2] A 2020 lawsuit by a former Saudi intelligence official names [[Bader al-Asaker|Bader Alasaker]] as the head of the crown prince's private office and the executive director of the MiSK Foundation.[^8][^9] The Ninth Circuit spells the name Binasaker, the lawsuit spells it Alasaker, and press reports use al-Asaker. + +In June 2014 a group of Saudi visitors toured the Twitter office in San Francisco after a request from a US-Saudi trade organization in Washington. The official attended, and the complaint states that he later became the head of the private office of the royal family member.[^6] The Ninth Circuit describes Binasaker meeting Abouammo during that visit, and describes an email from Binasaker afterward asking Abouammo to verify the crown prince's Twitter account.[^2] In December 2014 the two met in London, where, according to the complaint, the official gave Abouammo a Hublot watch.[^4][^6] + +### Accounts accessed + +The Ninth Circuit opinion states that Binasaker and Abouammo discussed a widely followed account with the handle @mujtahidd during the London meeting. The opinion describes the account as an "infamous and colorful" persona that posted about alleged corruption and incompetence in the kingdom and the royal family. Binasaker later sent Abouammo a dossier on the account, in an email referring to a "Mujtahid file," and Abouammo accessed the email and phone information associated with @mujtahidd on various occasions. In February 2015 Binasaker emailed Abouammo about @HSANATT, an account that had been suspended for impersonating a Saudi government official.[^2] + +The complaint describes its principal target, Twitter User-1, as a prominent critic of the Saudi government and royal family with more than 1,000,000 followers, and describes Twitter User-9 as a well-known critic with asylum in Canada whose account Alzabarah viewed on June 19 and July 5, 2015.[^4] NPR reported on November 6, 2019, quoting the Washington Post, that one of the accounts Alzabarah accessed belonged to [[Omar Abdulaziz]], a dissident who later became close to [[Jamal Khashoggi]].[^10] Abdulaziz, then a student in Montreal, told the Washington Post that he had received a message from Twitter that a "state sponsored" actor had penetrated his account. His lawyer, Mark Kleiman, said that "there's a direct trail of blood drops from this hack to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi."[^11] + +The Ninth Circuit's memorandum in Abdulaziz's own suit against Twitter describes his allegation that two Saudi operatives who worked for Twitter accessed his accounts without authorization and passed his personal information to the kingdom, and records that Twitter sent "safety" notices on December 11, 2015 to account holders whose accounts appeared to have been accessed without authorization.[^12] + +### Payments + +According to the complaint, the official sent Abouammo's close relative in Beirut a $100,000 wire in February 2015. Two transfers of roughly $10,000 each followed from a Bank Audi account in Beirut to Abouammo's Bank of America account in February and March 2015.[^4] On July 9, 2015 a $100,000 wire went from the National Commercial Bank in Saudi Arabia to the Bank Audi account, and on January 25, 2016 a further $100,000 went from the same bank to an account Abouammo had opened at Chase Bank.[^4] The Ninth Circuit describes the February 2015 account as opened under Abouammo's father's name and the July 2015 transfer as sent to the father's Lebanese account with a note apologizing for the delay.[^2] The Supreme Court's opinion states that the official wired Abouammo a total of $300,000.[^13] + +The complaint states that the official gave Abouammo a Hublot Unico Big Bang King Gold Ceramic watch in London. A consignment store offered to sell the watch for $20,000. In January 2015 Abouammo answered online advertisements for luxury watches, describing his watch as worth $35,000 and offering it for no less than $25,000.[^4] He later told the FBI that the watch was worth $500 and that he had received $100,000, while the complaint states that he had received at least $300,000.[^4] The superseding indictment describes the watch as worth at least $20,000.[^6] The Ninth Circuit and the Justice Department give the Craigslist asking price as $42,000.[^2][^14] + +### Alzabarah's departure + +On December 2, 2015, after Twitter confronted Alzabarah about his access to user accounts and placed him on administrative leave, he attempted to contact Almutairi and then contacted the official. The official in turn contacted an employee of the Saudi Consulate in Los Angeles to coordinate Alzabarah's departure from the United States. Alzabarah flew to Saudi Arabia on December 3, 2015, sent his resignation to Twitter by email, and by January 2016 had a job in Saudi Arabia with Organization-1.[^6] The Ninth Circuit states that Alzabarah and his family fled to Saudi Arabia after Twitter questioned him, and that he found employment with MiSK there.[^2] + +The Ninth Circuit describes an article published by The New York Times on October 20, 2018, which reported that Twitter had been warned in late 2015 that Saudi operatives had groomed Alzabarah to look up the identifying information of critical accounts. On the day of publication, FBI agents flew from the Bay Area to Abouammo's home in Seattle. During an interview that lasted several hours, Abouammo told the agents that Binasaker worked for MiSK and for the Prince Salman Youth Center, both of which he said were owned or controlled by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, that the watch was "plasticky and cheap and worth approximately $500," and that he had been paid $100,000 for services after leaving Twitter. He emailed the agents two invoices, the second of which, according to its metadata, was created while he was upstairs retrieving it.[^2] + +### Verdict and sentence + +A jury in San Francisco returned its verdict on August 9, 2022 after a two-week trial before Judge [[Edward M. Chen]]. The judgment lists convictions on Count One (acting as an agent of a foreign government, 18 U.S.C. 951), Count Four (conspiracy to commit wire fraud and honest services fraud), Count Eleven (wire fraud and honest services wire fraud), Counts Twenty and Twenty-One (international money laundering) and Count Twenty-Three (falsification of records, 18 U.S.C. 1519).[^3] The jury acquitted him on five counts of wire fraud, and nine further counts were dismissed without prejudice.[^1] The Justice Department's release of August 10, 2022 quoted Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen describing the case in terms of "transnational repression."[^14] + +Judge Chen sentenced Abouammo in December 2022 to 42 months in prison on each count, to run concurrently, with three years of supervised release and forfeiture of $242,000. The advisory Guidelines range was 70 to 87 months, and the sentence was below that range. The Justice Department's release stated that the court emphasized that Abouammo shared the information with a government known for not tolerating dissidents and that a more culpable co-defendant had fled the country.[^2][^7] + +### Appeal, resentencing and Supreme Court review + +On December 4, 2024 the Ninth Circuit affirmed the convictions, vacated the sentence in an accompanying memorandum and remanded for resentencing. Judge Daniel Bress wrote the opinion and Judge Kenneth Lee concurred. The panel held that the conviction under 18 U.S.C. 951 could rest on the theory that Abouammo acted at the behest of a foreign government, without resolving whether Binasaker was a foreign official, and that venue for the falsification count was proper in the Northern District because FBI agents in San Francisco received the document. Judge Lee wrote separately that the decision did not give the government free rein to manufacture venue.[^2] The court denied rehearing en banc on March 18, 2025 and issued its mandate on March 26, 2025.[^3] + +Judge Chen held the resentencing on June 26, 2025. The minute entry records a criminal history category of 1, an adjusted offense level of 20 and a Guidelines range of 33 to 41 months, and a sentence of time served on each of the six counts, to run concurrently, with two years of supervised release, a $600 special assessment and no fine. The government and the probation office had recommended three years of supervised release, and the court indicated that after one year Abouammo could ask for early termination if he complied with all conditions. The amended judgment of July 2, 2025 retains forfeiture of $242,000.[^3] + +Abouammo petitioned the Supreme Court for certiorari on July 16, 2025. On December 5, 2025 the Court granted the petition limited to the first question presented, and heard argument on March 30, 2026.[^15] On June 11, 2026 the Court reversed and remanded in a unanimous opinion by Justice Kagan, reported at 608 U.S. 597. It held that a defendant charged under 18 U.S.C. 1519 must be tried in the district where the falsification occurred, which here was Seattle and, in venue terms, the Western District of Washington, and that the trial should not have occurred in the Northern District of California.[^13] The district docket records Ninth Circuit orders on July 13 and July 20, 2026, status reports on June 30 and August 18, 2026, and a stipulation and proposed order on September 2, 2026.[^16] + +### Civil suits + +On August 6, 2020, [[Saad Aljabri]], a former Saudi intelligence official, filed a 106-page complaint in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against Mohammed bin Salman. The complaint alleges that the crown prince sent a hit squad, known as the Tiger Squad, to Canada to kill him, 13 days after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. It also alleges that Alasaker cultivated a network of covert agents whom he deployed to target critics of the crown prince.[^9] + +The court's opinion of September 30, 2022 in Aljabri v. bin Salman, No. 1:20-cv-02146-TJK, summarizes the amended complaint. Aljabri alleged that bin Salman, Alasaker and MiSK were tied to Saudi espionage in the United States, citing the Twitter indictment; that the Twitter employees were acting on Alasaker's instructions and that Alasaker eventually hired one of them to work for MiSK; and that in 2015 bin Salman told Aljabri that he had someone "in Twitter." The opinion records the allegations that the Tiger Squad was overseen by bin Salman and Alasaker, and that Alasaker repeatedly called and messaged Aljabri to coordinate a private jet for his return to Saudi Arabia. Judge Timothy Kelly dismissed the claims against bin Salman, Alasaker and the other served defendants for lack of personal jurisdiction, and held that Aljabri had not plausibly alleged that bin Salman and Alasaker used MiSK to recruit Saudi students as agents. The opinion notes that the Twitter employees were not alleged to be involved in that case.[^8] + +Abdulaziz sued Twitter over the access to his accounts. On November 6, 2024 a divided Ninth Circuit panel affirmed the dismissal of his negligence claims. It found that he had standing to sue, but held that the claims were barred by California's two-year statute of limitations, with Judge Collins dissenting.[^12] A suit captioned Al-Ahmed v. Twitter, Inc. was filed in the Northern District of California on October 13, 2021 (No. 3:21-cv-08017).[^17] + +### Footnotes + +[^1]: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California, "United States v. Ahmad Abouammo," case page (updated April 30, 2025), including the defendants, the indictment of November 19, 2019, the verdict table of August 9, 2022, the superseding indictment and the resentencing listing for June 26, 2025. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/united-states-v-ahmad-abouammo +[^2]: United States v. Abouammo, 122 F.4th 1072, No. 22-10348 (9th Cir. Dec. 4, 2024) (opinion by Bress, J., concurrence by Lee, J.). https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2024/12/04/22-10348.pdf +[^3]: United States v. Abouammo, No. 3:19-cr-00621-EMC (N.D. Cal.): order of the Ninth Circuit denying rehearing (Dkt. 470, March 18, 2025) and mandate (Dkt. 472, March 26, 2025), per the docket index; minute entry for resentencing (Dkt. 484, June 26, 2025); amended judgment (Dkt. 482, July 2, 2025). https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.351689/gov.uscourts.cand.351689.482.0.pdf and https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.351689/gov.uscourts.cand.351689.484.0.pdf +[^4]: Criminal complaint and affidavit of FBI Special Agent Letitia Wu, United States v. Abouammo, No. 3:19-mj-71824-MAG, Doc. 1 (N.D. Cal., filed November 5, 2019). https://justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1215836/download +[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Two Former Twitter Employees and a Saudi National Charged as Acting as Illegal Agents of Saudi Arabia," November 7, 2019 (Wayback Machine capture of December 30, 2019). https://web.archive.org/web/20191230080847id_/https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/two-former-twitter-employees-and-saudi-national-charged-acting-illegal-agents-saudi-arabia +[^6]: Superseding indictment, United States v. Abouammo, No. 3:19-cr-00621-EMC, Dkt. 53 (N.D. Cal., filed July 28, 2020). https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/page/file/1299331/dl +[^7]: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California, "Former Twitter Employee Sentenced To 42 Months In Federal Prison For Acting As A Foreign Agent," December 15, 2022 (Wayback Machine capture of December 28, 2022). https://web.archive.org/web/20221228102034id_/https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/former-twitter-employee-sentenced-42-months-federal-prison-acting-foreign-agent +[^8]: Memorandum opinion, Aljabri v. Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, No. 1:20-cv-02146-TJK, Dkt. 134 (D.D.C. Sept. 30, 2022). https://tlblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Aljabri_Memorandum-opinion-9.30.22.pdf +[^9]: Al Jazeera, "Former Saudi spy accuses MBS hit squad of attempting to kill him," August 6, 2020. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/8/6/former-saudi-spy-accuses-mbs-hit-squad-of-attempting-to-kill-him +[^10]: Richard Gonzales, "2 Former Twitter Employees Charged With Spying For Saudi Arabia," NPR, November 6, 2019. https://www.npr.org/2019/11/06/777098293/2-former-twitter-employees-charged-with-spying-for-saudi-arabia +[^11]: "'A direct trail of blood drops' leads from a Twitter hack to Jamal Khashoggi's murder," Washington Post, as carried by Yahoo News. https://news.yahoo.com/a-direct-trail-of-blood-drops-leads-from-a-twitter-hack-to-jamal-khashoggis-murder-090051087.html +[^12]: Memorandum disposition, Abdulaziz v. Twitter, Inc., No. 21-16195 (9th Cir. Nov. 6, 2024). https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/memoranda/2024/11/06/21-16195.pdf +[^13]: Abouammo v. United States, 608 U.S. 597, No. 25-5146 (U.S. June 11, 2026) (Kagan, J., for a unanimous Court). https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/608us2r46_2c8f.pdf +[^14]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Former Twitter Employee Found Guilty of Acting as an Agent of a Foreign Government and Unlawfully Sharing Twitter User Information," August 10, 2022 (Wayback Machine capture of December 28, 2022). https://web.archive.org/web/20221228174236id_/https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-twitter-employee-found-guilty-acting-agent-foreign-government-and-unlawfully-sharing +[^15]: Supreme Court of the United States, docket for No. 25-5146, Abouammo v. United States. https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/25-5146.html +[^16]: Docket index entries 486 to 493, United States v. Abouammo, No. 3:19-cr-00621-EMC (N.D. Cal.), via CourtListener. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/16487479/united-states-v-abouammo/ +[^17]: CourtListener docket index entry for Al-Ahmed v. Twitter, Inc., No. 3:21-cv-08017 (N.D. Cal.). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/60644845/al-ahmed-v-twitter-inc/ diff --git a/50 - CONCEPTS & TECHNOLOGY/INTELLIGENCE/NSPM-11.md b/50 - CONCEPTS & TECHNOLOGY/INTELLIGENCE/NSPM-11.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..ed2ee0c3 --- /dev/null +++ b/50 - CONCEPTS & TECHNOLOGY/INTELLIGENCE/NSPM-11.md @@ -0,0 +1,84 @@ +--- +aliases: + - "NSPM-11" + - "NSPM 11" + - "National Security Presidential Memorandum 11" + - "Artificial Intelligence in the National Security Enterprise" +category: "Intelligence Concept" +tags: + - Concept + - NSPM11 + - ArtificialIntelligence + - NationalSecurity + - DonaldTrump + - DirectorOfNationalIntelligence + - SuperIntelligence + - NSM25 + - Procurement +created: 2026-10-13 +updated: 2026-10-13 +summary: "\"Artificial intelligence (AI) will be among the most transformative technologies to national security,\" opens the June 2026 memorandum that rescinded National Security Memorandum 25 and assigned the DNI roles in AI procurement and collection." +relations: + - type: subject_of + with: "[[Director of National Intelligence]]" + role: "assigned collection, procurement, computing-access, talent and testing roles in Sections 3(b), 4 and 5" + start: 2026-06-05 + fn: 1 + - type: subject_of + with: "[[Abdulrahman Alfozan]]" + role: "the Justice Department release of October 13, 2026 states that the prosecution supports this memorandum" + start: 2026-10-13 + fn: 3 +--- + +National Security Presidential Memorandum 11 (NSPM-11), titled "Artificial Intelligence in the National Security Enterprise," was signed by [[Donald Trump]] on June 5, 2026. It is addressed to the secretaries of State, the Treasury, War, Energy, Homeland Security and the [[Department of Justice]] (the attorney general), the [[Director of National Intelligence]], the director of the [[Central Intelligence Agency]], the director of the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]], the directors of the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management, the national cyber director, and the national security, science and policy-and-homeland-security advisers.[^1] The memorandum rescinds and replaces [[National Security Memorandum 25]] (the memorandum of October 24, 2024 titled "Advancing the United States' Leadership in Artificial Intelligence; Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Fulfill National Security Objectives; and Fostering the Safety, Security, and Trustworthiness of Artificial Intelligence"),[^2] and on October 13, 2026 the Justice Department cited it as the policy that the prosecution of an [[OpenAI]] engineer supports.[^3] + +### Text and Structure + +The memorandum opens with the sentence: "Artificial intelligence (AI) will be among the most transformative technologies to national security in the history of the United States." Section 1 frames the purpose as accelerating the use of AI "across intelligence and warfighting domains in line with American values." Section 2 sets four pillars (adoption, adaptation, assurance and accountability). Section 3 contains the updated policies and guidance, Section 4 covers advancing national security capabilities, Section 5 covers building capacity for AI adoption, and Sections 6 and 7 contain definitions and general provisions.[^1] + +Several directives run from the date of the memorandum. Section 4(a) gives the Secretary of War, the DNI and the heads of agencies with intelligence elements 120 days to review and update procurement processes for "the most advanced AI models from multiple vendors." A 120-day period from June 5, 2026 ends on October 3, 2026.[^1] + +### The Four Pillars + +Under adoption, the national security enterprise is directed to "make the most advanced frontier models broadly available to national security professionals without delay." Under assurance, the enterprise must ensure, "through contractual clauses or other means, that no commercial entity or adversary possesses the capability to prevent use of, disable or degrade, or materially modify without Federal Government knowledge and approval, an AI system that our men and women depend on for their missions."[^1] + +Under accountability, the text states that "American AI technologies shall neither be developed nor used by the national security enterprise to censor free speech, embed ideological bias, or conduct unauthorized or unlawful surveillance activities."[^1] + +### Vendor Termination and Waivers + +Section 3(b) states that, consistent with the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014, the Secretary of War for systems under section 3553(e)(2) of that Act and the DNI for systems under section 3553(e)(3) "shall direct, to the maximum extent permissible by law, termination for default or for convenience contracts with companies that have repeatedly demonstrated a pattern of conduct that is inconsistent with policies laid out in section 2 of this memorandum." The provision extends to contracts under which such companies serve the agencies as subcontractors. Agency heads "may establish a waiver process to grant limited exceptions of a defined duration, to exceed no longer than 1 year, where such relationships are necessary to responsibly steward" the national security mission.[^1] + +### Director of National Intelligence Provisions + +The DNI appears in most of the memorandum's implementation sections. Under Section 3(b) the DNI directs the termination provisions for systems under section 3553(e)(3) of the 2014 Act. Under Section 4(a) the DNI reviews procurement with the Secretary of War to onboard advanced models from multiple vendors. Section 4(b) assigns the DNI to a roadmap for access to advanced computing, developed with the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and the OMB director within 90 days. Section 4(c) assigns the DNI, with the Secretary of War, the Secretary of Energy and the director of the [[National Security Agency]], to develop partnerships "with willing private-sector companies to help secure America's most cutting-edge AI technologies, including from malicious distillation attacks," through the AI Security Center.[^1] + +Section 4(e) is the provision most directly concerned with collection. It reads: "The DNI, in coordination with IC elements, shall prioritize the collection and analysis of foreign AI technologies, across the AI technology stack, AI applications and uses, and AI governance and policies that pose a threat to United States national security, economic security, and strategic competitiveness." Section 4(f) directs the DNI, the Secretary of War, the Secretary of Energy and the NSA director to initiate joint AI data and model exchanges "accessible across multiple enclaves" within 120 days.[^1] + +Under Section 5 the DNI is consulted on an AI National Security Strategic Reserve of non-governmental AI talent (Section 5(b)), shares responsibility with the Secretary of War for an AI for National Security Curriculum (Section 5(c)), develops with the Secretary of War, the NSA director and others a joint strategy for AI risk management and assurance (Section 5(e)), and shares with the Secretary of War and the NSA director responsibility for submitting standardized AI test, evaluation, verification and validation methodologies to the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and the National Cyber Director for review (Section 5(f)).[^1] + +### Rescission of NSM-25 + +Section 3(f) states: "This memorandum hereby rescinds and replaces National Security Memorandum-25 and associated guidance."[^1] Section 1 states that "Previous administrations imposed undue bureaucracy that hampered the pace of AI adoption, fostered dangerous dependencies on single vendors, and made it challenging for our warfighters to adopt the most advanced technologies."[^1] + +### The Super Intelligence Terminology + +On September 29, 2026 the President signed Executive Order 14434, "Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence." The order directs executive agencies, to the extent the law allows, to use "Super Intelligence" and "SI" in place of "Artificial Intelligence" and "AI" in official correspondence, public communications, websites, reports and policy documents. Section 1 of the order states that the executive branch "will not acknowledge the usage of \"Artificial Intelligence\" and \"AI\" in any applicable setting." Section 2(b) provides that nothing in the section "requires the alteration of previously issued regulations, Presidential actions, contracts, grants, or other historical documents." Section 3 defines the new terms by reference to the statutory definition of artificial intelligence in 15 U.S.C. 9401(3) and directs the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology to submit proposed legislative language for a Federal definition within 60 days.[^4] + +On October 6, 2026 the acting Deputy Attorney General, Trent McCotter, issued a memorandum directing Justice Department employees to use "super intelligence" and "SI" in place of "AI" in public communications, policy documents and official records. Reuters reported that the directive "shall extend to court filings when appropriate."[^5] + +The text of NSPM-11, signed nearly four months before the order, uses "artificial intelligence" and "AI" throughout, and the phrase "super intelligence" does not appear in it.[^1] The phrase appears in the Justice Department release of October 13, 2026, which also refers to the "Super Intelligence Force."[^3] + +### The October 2026 Prosecution Release + +The Justice Department release announcing the arrest of [[Abdulrahman Alfozan]] quotes [[Jay Clayton]], identified in the release as Director of National Intelligence: "This serious situation underscores why winning the global super intelligence race is a national security prerogative." The same quotation continues with a reference to "President Trump's leadership in creating the Super Intelligence Force." The release quotes [[Kash Patel]], the FBI director, as saying that "Protecting American SI innovation is essential to safeguarding our nation's economic strength and national security."[^3] + +The release then states: "This prosecution is in support of National Security Presidential Memorandum 11 (NSPM-11) designed to support American superiority in super intelligence technology."[^3] + +### Footnotes + +[^1]: The White House, "National Security Presidential Memorandum/NSPM-11," signed June 5, 2026. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/06/national-security-presidential-memorandum-nspm-11/ +[^2]: The White House (Biden administration archive), "Memorandum on Advancing the United States' Leadership in Artificial Intelligence; Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Fulfill National Security Objectives; and Fostering the Safety, Security, and Trustworthiness of Artificial Intelligence," October 24, 2024. https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2024/10/24/memorandum-on-advancing-the-united-states-leadership-in-artificial-intelligence-harnessing-artificial-intelligence-to-fulfill-national-security-objectives-and-fostering-the-safety-security/ +[^3]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Saudi National Arrested for Installing Surreptitious Audio Recording Device at OpenAI," press release 26-1173, October 13, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/saudi-national-arrested-installing-surreptitious-audio-recording-device-openai +[^4]: Executive Order 14434, "Inaugurating the Era of Super Intelligence," The White House, September 29, 2026. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/09/inaugurating-the-era-of-super-intelligence/ +[^5]: Reuters report on the Justice Department memorandum issued by acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter, datelined October 6, 2026, carried by *The Star* (Malaysia), October 7, 2026. https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2026/10/07/us-justice-dept-tells-staff-to-call-ai-039super-intelligence039-under-trump-order diff --git a/60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Saudi Arabia.md b/60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Saudi Arabia.md index 3f02c907..1d328e7f 100644 --- a/60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Saudi Arabia.md +++ b/60 - PLACES/COUNTRIES/Saudi Arabia.md @@ -1,4 +1,4 @@ ---- +--- category: "Country" tags: - geography @@ -12,7 +12,36 @@ Saudi Arabia was a source of funding for the [[Contras|Contra]] war that supplem The Saudi contributions to the Contra war were part of Oliver North's network of third-party funding sources that included private donors, foreign governments, and drug trafficking proceeds. When Congress passed the [[Boland Amendment]] cutting off military aid to the Contras, the administration turned to Saudi Arabia, Iran, and other sources to keep the war funded. The combination of Saudi money, Iranian arms sales proceeds, and cocaine trafficking revenue created a multi-source funding pipeline that operated outside congressional oversight.[^2] +### Saudi Nationals in American AI Companies + +On October 13, 2026 the Justice Department identified [[Abdulrahman Alfozan]], 35, as a Saudi national and an engineer at [[OpenAI]] who was charged with installing a recording device in an executive conference room in San Francisco.[^3] A post on X by the [[Smashi Business]] account on September 12, 2026 described him as "currently the only Saudi employee at OpenAI."[^4] On October 13, 2026 [[Scott Stedman]] wrote on X that Alfozan is a venture partner at [[RAED Ventures]], "which has received funding from Saudi government-backed entities," and that the firm also has a Saudi royal family member, [[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]], as a venture partner.[^5] + +### Technology Competitions and Youth Programs + +In 2017 a national institution called the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones (SAFCSP) was established. Its 2018 homepage places it "under the umbrella of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee."[^6] The federation ran the Hajj Hackathon, which Arab News reported in August 2018 as "the largest Hajj Hackathon for cyber security, programming and drones," an entry in the Guinness Book of Records.[^7] In 2020 it ran the Homathon, an online hackathon held April 19 to 25, with a total prize pool of $85,000.[^8] Abdulrahman Alfozan's LinkedIn profile lists first place in the Homathon.[^9] In October 2022 it co-organized the Tuwaiq Drone Challenge with the German Dronemasters Academy.[^10] Tuwaiq Academy, launched in August 2019 as an alliance between the federation and Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, runs its bootcamps.[^11] + +The federation's chairman in April 2018 was [[Saud al-Qahtani]], identified as "Adviser at the Royal Court."[^7] Qahtani was fired as royal court adviser on October 20, 2018, in a royal order reported by Saudi state media, and the United States Treasury designated him on November 15, 2018 over the killing of [[Jamal Khashoggi]].[^12][^13] + +### Twitter Espionage Prosecution + +In November 2019 the United States charged two former Twitter employees, [[Ahmad Abouammo]] and [[Ali Alzabarah]], and a Saudi intermediary, [[Ahmed Almutairi]], with acting as agents of the kingdom without notice to the Attorney General, in the [[Twitter Saudi espionage case]]. The complaint alleges that Abouammo and Alzabarah obtained nonpublic account data on Twitter users critical of the Saudi government for officials of the kingdom, including an official whom the Ninth Circuit identifies as Bader Binasaker, a close associate of [[Mohammed bin Salman]] ([[Bader al-Asaker]]).[^14] Abouammo was convicted in August 2022 and sentenced to 42 months in prison; the Ninth Circuit affirmed the convictions on December 4, 2024 and vacated the sentence, and on June 26, 2025 he was resentenced to time served.[^15][^16] On June 11, 2026 the Supreme Court unanimously reversed the judgment on the venue of the falsification count, holding that the trial for that count belonged in Seattle, and remanded the case.[^17] + ### Footnotes [^1]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 16. [^2]: Webb, Gary. *Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion.* Seven Stories Press, 1998. Ch. 16. +[^3]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Saudi National Arrested for Installing Surreptitious Audio Recording Device at OpenAI," October 13, 2026, press release 26-1173. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/saudi-national-arrested-installing-surreptitious-audio-recording-device-openai +[^4]: Smashi Business, post on X, September 12, 2026. https://x.com/smashibusiness/status/2098758379091153118 +[^5]: Scott Stedman, post on X, October 13, 2026. https://x.com/scottstedman/status/2110102749526573398 +[^6]: Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, English homepage, captured July 11, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180711041742/https://safcsp.org.sa/en +[^7]: Arab News, "Saudi-based Hajj Hackathon makes it to the Guinness Book of Records," August 2, 2018. https://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/saudi-based-hajj-hackathon-makes-it-to-the-guinness-book-of-records-1350066 +[^8]: Ajel (English), "SAFCSP launches Homathon Challenge Contest," undated, covering the launch in mid-April 2020. https://english.ajel.sa/news/safcsp-launches-homathon-challenge-contest +[^9]: Abdulrahman Alfozan, LinkedIn profile, viewed October 13, 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/in/alfozan +[^10]: Arab News, "Tuwaiq Drone Challenge hosts battle for innovative solutions," October 2022. https://www.arabnews.com/node/2177326 +[^11]: Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Endowments Company, "Tuwaiq Academy," English page, retrieved October 13, 2026. https://pnu.edu.sa/en/Departments/Endowments/Pages/TuwaiqAcademy.aspx +[^12]: Al Jazeera, "Who is Saud al-Qahtani, the fired Saudi royal court adviser?," October 20, 2018. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/saud-al-qahtani-fired-saudi-royal-court-adviser-181020125449478.html +[^13]: U.S. Department of the Treasury, Press Release sm547, November 15, 2018. https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm547 +[^14]: Criminal complaint and affidavit of FBI Special Agent Letitia Wu, United States v. Abouammo, No. 3:19-mj-71824-MAG (N.D. Cal., filed November 5, 2019). https://justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1215836/download +[^15]: United States v. Abouammo, 122 F.4th 1072, No. 22-10348 (9th Cir. Dec. 4, 2024). https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2024/12/04/22-10348.pdf +[^16]: Minute entry for resentencing (Dkt. 484, June 26, 2025), United States v. Abouammo, No. 3:19-cr-00621-EMC (N.D. Cal.). https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.351689/gov.uscourts.cand.351689.484.0.pdf +[^17]: Abouammo v. United States, 608 U.S. 597, No. 25-5146 (U.S. June 11, 2026). https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/608us2r46_2c8f.pdf diff --git a/60 - PLACES/MILITARY_INSTALLATIONS/Los Alamos.md b/60 - PLACES/MILITARY_INSTALLATIONS/Los Alamos.md index d8ae7d4f..669039ae 100644 --- a/60 - PLACES/MILITARY_INSTALLATIONS/Los Alamos.md +++ b/60 - PLACES/MILITARY_INSTALLATIONS/Los Alamos.md @@ -10,8 +10,14 @@ tags: - Espionage summary: "Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, where the Manhattan Project built the first atomic bomb, and one of the primary U.S. nuclear weapons design facilities." created: 2026-05-14 -updated: 2026-05-14 +updated: 2026-10-13 location: "Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States" +relations: + - type: partner_of + with: "[[OpenAI]]" + start: 2025-01-30 + role: "o-series reasoning models installed on the Venado supercomputer, moved to a classified network; o3 running by August 2025" + fn: 2 --- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory located on a mesa in the Jemez Mountains of northern [[New Mexico]], approximately 35 miles northwest of [[Santa Fe]]. Established as the Manhattan Project's weapons design laboratory (Project Y) in 1943 under scientific director J. Robert Oppenheimer, Los Alamos designed and built the first nuclear weapons, including "Little Boy" (uranium gun-type) and "Fat Man" (plutonium implosion) that were used against Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. The laboratory continues to design and certify nuclear weapons for the U.S. stockpile.[^1] @@ -22,9 +28,15 @@ The Manhattan Project - the American program to develop nuclear weapons during [ The first nuclear test ("Trinity") was conducted at the White Sands Proving Ground in New Mexico on July 16, 1945. The bomb that detonated was a plutonium implosion design identical to "Fat Man."[^1] +### OpenAI Models on the Venado Supercomputer + +On January 30, 2025 the laboratory announced that it had entered a partnership with [[OpenAI]] to install the company's latest o-series reasoning models on the Venado supercomputer, which uses NVIDIA Grace Hopper superchips. The announcement stated that Venado "will be moved to a secure, classified network where it will be a shared resource for researchers from Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore, and Sandia national labs."[^2] The laboratory's director, [[Thom Mason]], said: "Artificial intelligence models from OpenAI will allow us to do this more successfully, while also advancing our scientific missions to solve some of the nation's most important challenges."[^2] In August 2025 Mason said: "This is the first time that OpenAI's reasoning models are being used for national security applications on a government computing resource like Venado."[^3] + +On August 28, 2025 the laboratory reported that Venado, which had moved to the classified network earlier that year, was running OpenAI's o3 reasoning model. The laboratory described Venado as the 19th-fastest supercomputer in the world and a shared resource for the [[National Nuclear Security Administration]] laboratories. The announcement lists planned Venado work as "studying plutonium aging, ensuring effective guardrails against biological threats, and addressing other pressing national security research areas."[^3] Acting NNSA administrator [[Teresa Robbins]] said that the partnership "will assist Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore and Sandia national laboratories with our most pressing national security problems."[^3] + ### Espionage and Security Failures -Los Alamos was penetrated by Soviet intelligence during the Manhattan Project through multiple agents, the most significant of whom was [[Klaus Fuchs]], a German-born British physicist who was a Communist Party member. Fuchs provided the Soviets with detailed technical information on the implosion bomb design, information that accelerated Soviet nuclear weapons development by an estimated 2-5 years. Fuchs was arrested in January 1950 and confessed; his confession led to the identification of his American contact Harry Gold and subsequently to [[Julius and Ethel Rosenberg]], who were convicted of espionage and executed in 1953.[^2] +Los Alamos was penetrated by Soviet intelligence during the Manhattan Project through multiple agents, the most significant of whom was [[Klaus Fuchs]], a German-born British physicist who was a Communist Party member. Fuchs provided the Soviets with detailed technical information on the implosion bomb design, information that accelerated Soviet nuclear weapons development by an estimated 2-5 years. Fuchs was arrested in January 1950 and confessed; his confession led to the identification of his American contact Harry Gold and subsequently to [[Julius and Ethel Rosenberg]], who were convicted of espionage and executed in 1953.[^4] In 1999, Taiwanese-born Los Alamos physicist [[Wen Ho Lee]] was accused of downloading classified nuclear weapons design files to portable hard drives. He was indicted on 59 counts of mishandling classified information; 58 counts were dropped, and he pleaded guilty to one count of downloading classified information to an unsecured computer. The case raised concerns about racial profiling in security investigations.[^1] @@ -33,14 +45,16 @@ In 1999, Taiwanese-born Los Alamos physicist [[Wen Ho Lee]] was accused of downl Several figures who appear in this vault worked at or had connections to Los Alamos: - [[George A. Cowan]], a nuclear weapons designer at Los Alamos for over twenty years, acknowledged close associations with Israeli physicists from the [[Weizmann Institute]], a connection relevant to Israel's nuclear weapons program - [[Harold M. Agnew]], Los Alamos director from 1970 to 1979, served on the Nuclear Intelligence Panel and was critical of the suppression of findings from the [[Vela Incident]] satellite detection of an apparent nuclear test off [[South Africa]] -- [[Carl E. Duckett]], CIA Deputy Director for Science and Technology, received intelligence contributed from Los Alamos through the CIA's Office of Science and Technology on nuclear matters[^2] +- [[Carl E. Duckett]], CIA Deputy Director for Science and Technology, received intelligence contributed from Los Alamos through the CIA's Office of Science and Technology on nuclear matters[^4] ### PROMIS -The laboratory enters the [[PROMIS Software Scandal|PROMIS]] literature twice. [[John A. Belton]], a former Canadian stockbroker, told the Justice Department's reviewers in 1994 that "Trans World Arms in Montreal and ORA," the [[Ora Group]] of [[Ari Ben-Menashe]]'s account, had sold PROMIS in 1983 to "a Nuclear Regulatory Commission facility in New Mexico" that he believed was Los Alamos, on the word of an unnamed source and without producing any document; the reviewers found him "unbelievable." The [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police|RCMP]] investigator [[Sean McDade]] said in 2000 that a meeting of allied intelligence chiefs on the year-2000 computer problem had been held at the laboratory in December 1999, and that a source had suggested [[Mossad]] might have a two-way back door into the shared system reaching "top U.S. weapons secrets at Los Alamos and other installations." Neither the [[House Committee on the Judiciary|House Judiciary Committee]]'s 1992 report nor the 1993 Bua report mentions the laboratory.[^3] +The laboratory enters the [[PROMIS Software Scandal|PROMIS]] literature twice. [[John A. Belton]], a former Canadian stockbroker, told the Justice Department's reviewers in 1994 that "Trans World Arms in Montreal and ORA," the [[Ora Group]] of [[Ari Ben-Menashe]]'s account, had sold PROMIS in 1983 to "a Nuclear Regulatory Commission facility in New Mexico" that he believed was Los Alamos, on the word of an unnamed source and without producing any document; the reviewers found him "unbelievable." The [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police|RCMP]] investigator [[Sean McDade]] said in 2000 that a meeting of allied intelligence chiefs on the year-2000 computer problem had been held at the laboratory in December 1999, and that a source had suggested [[Mossad]] might have a two-way back door into the shared system reaching "top U.S. weapons secrets at Los Alamos and other installations." Neither the [[House Committee on the Judiciary|House Judiciary Committee]]'s 1992 report nor the 1993 Bua report mentions the laboratory.[^5] ### Footnotes [^1]: "Los Alamos National Laboratory," *Encyclopaedia Britannica.* https://www.britannica.com/topic/Los-Alamos-National-Laboratory -[^2]: Herken, Gregg. *Brotherhood of the Bomb: The Tangled Lives and Loyalties of Robert Oppenheimer, Ernest Lawrence, and Edward Teller.* Henry Holt, 2002. -[^3]: U.S. Department of Justice, *Report on the Review of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua's Report on the Allegations of INSLAW, Inc.,* September 27, 1994, interview of John A. Belton; Seymour, Cheri, *The Last Circle,* TrineDay, 2010, as cited on [[Sean McDade]]. +[^2]: Los Alamos National Laboratory, "Los Alamos Lab partners with OpenAI to boost national security," January 30, 2025. The release quotes Thom Mason: "Artificial intelligence models from OpenAI will allow us to do this more successfully." https://www.lanl.gov/media/news/0130-open-ai +[^3]: Los Alamos National Laboratory, "Lab launches frontier AI models on the Venado supercomputer," August 28, 2025: "is now running OpenAI's latest o3 reasoning model"; "studying plutonium aging, ensuring effective guardrails against biological threats"; Robbins quotation as above. https://www.lanl.gov/media/news/0828-venado-ai-models +[^4]: Herken, Gregg. *Brotherhood of the Bomb: The Tangled Lives and Loyalties of Robert Oppenheimer, Ernest Lawrence, and Edward Teller.* Henry Holt, 2002. +[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, *Report on the Review of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua's Report on the Allegations of INSLAW, Inc.,* September 27, 1994, interview of John A. Belton; Seymour, Cheri, *The Last Circle,* TrineDay, 2010, as cited on [[Sean McDade]]. diff --git a/70 - DISPATCHES/2026-10-13 Its Special Operations Section.md b/70 - DISPATCHES/2026-10-13 Its Special Operations Section.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000..f8dabbad --- /dev/null +++ b/70 - DISPATCHES/2026-10-13 Its Special Operations Section.md @@ -0,0 +1,49 @@ +--- +title: "Its Special Operations Section" +date: 2026-10-13 +status: published +summary: "The OpenAI engineer charged with bugging an executive conference room shared a Saudi venture firm's partner roster with a prince whose father served in Saudi intelligence and whose uncle ran the national space agency." +entities: + - "[[Abdulrahman Alfozan]]" + - "[[OpenAI]]" + - "[[RAED Ventures]]" + - "[[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]]" + - "[[Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]]" + - "[[Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]]" + - "[[General Intelligence Presidency]]" + - "[[Echelon (company)]]" + - "[[East40 Holding]]" + - "[[Ben Horowitz]]" + - "[[Andreessen Horowitz]]" +tags: + - OpenAI + - SaudiArabia + - GeneralIntelligencePresidency + - Counterintelligence +--- +# Its Special Operations Section + +On October 13, 2026 the Justice Department announced that [[Abdulrahman Alfozan]], 35, a Saudi national employed as an engineer by [[OpenAI]] since July 2025, had been arrested on October 9 and charged under 18 U.S.C. § 2511(1)(b). According to the complaint, OpenAI found a recording device on September 30 in a USB port behind the television of an executive conference room, where meetings covered "government engagements, and commercial relationships." The release states that a complaint merely alleges that crimes have been committed and that the defendant is presumed innocent.[^1][^2] + +On February 6, 2025 [[RAED Ventures]] of Riyadh announced "H.H. Prince Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud" ([[Khalid bin Bader Al Saud]]) as a venture partner. On February 8 it announced Alfozan, then a founding engineer at [[Nash (company)|Nash]], as another.[^3][^4] The firm's team page, captured on October 13, 2026, lists both men as venture partners.[^5] + +The UK register records the prince as "Khalid Bin Bader Bin Saud Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz AL SAUD," born September 1994: Khalid, son of Bader, son of Saud, son of Mohammed.[^6] [[Arab News]] wrote on September 23, 2019 that Brig. Gen. Prince [[Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]], then assistant commander of the special forces guarding the Grand Mosque, had served with the Riyadh police "before being posted to the Saudi General Intelligence agency to join its special operations section."[^7] The agency is the [[General Intelligence Presidency]]. [[Scott Stedman]] reported the father's identity on October 13, 2026.[^8] + +[[Al-Jazirah]]'s biography of Saud bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz, published on January 22, 2016, lists among his sons "Prince Dr. Turki, president of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology" and "Prince Dr. Colonel Paratrooper (Badr)," then of the special force of the [[Grand Mosque]].[^9] [[Turki bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud]] ran the [[King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology]], the kingdom's science and space agency, from 2015 to 2021, and a royal order of December 27, 2018 made him an adviser to the [[Saudi Royal Court]] with the rank of minister.[^10] Since 2024 he has been the person with significant control, holding 75 percent or more, of three UK companies: Pulsed Fusion Energy, European Launch System and Solid Orbit. The register records his appointment as their director on August 13, 2026.[^11] + +Khalid founded [[Echelon (company)]], a Riyadh artificial intelligence company. Its founder's letter of October 2026 says its technology unit is "focused on Energy, Industrials, Government, Telco, Defence" and announces Echelon Defense Industries for 2027, "to help the Kingdom build sovereign defence capability."[^12] On October 7 and 8, 2026, two and one days before Alfozan's arrest, [[Wamda]] and [[Dealroom]] reported an undisclosed round for Echelon from [[East40 Holding]], RAED Ventures and Avra, "alongside Ben Horowitz and other investors."[^13] [[Ben Horowitz]] is a co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz. [[Andreessen Horowitz]] led the 2021 seed round and the July 2022 Series A of Nash.[^14] + +[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Saudi National Arrested for Installing Surreptitious Audio Recording Device at OpenAI," October 13, 2026, press release 26-1173, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/saudi-national-arrested-installing-surreptitious-audio-recording-device-openai. +[^2]: U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of California, "Saudi National Arrested for Installing Surreptitious Audio Recording Device at OpenAI," October 13, 2026, https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/saudi-national-arrested-installing-surreptitious-audio-recording-device-openai-san. +[^3]: RAED Ventures, "Raed Ventures Welcomes New Venture Partner, H.H. Prince Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud," February 6, 2025, https://raed.vc/news/raed-ventures-welcomes-new-venture-partner-h-h-prince-khalid-bin-bader-al-saud/ (Wayback capture of March 23, 2025, https://web.archive.org/web/20250323020859/https://raed.vc/news/raed-ventures-welcomes-new-venture-partner-h-h-prince-khalid-bin-bader-al-saud/). +[^4]: RAED Ventures, "Raed Ventures Welcomes New Venture Partner, Abdulrahman Alfozan," February 8, 2025, https://raed.vc/news/raed-ventures-welcomes-new-venture-partner-abdulrahman-alfozan/ (Wayback capture of March 23, 2025, https://web.archive.org/web/20250323022105/https://raed.vc/news/raed-ventures-welcomes-new-venture-partner-abdulrahman-alfozan/). +[^5]: RAED Ventures, "Our team," https://raed.vc/, archived October 13, 2026, https://web.archive.org/web/20261013212530/https://raed.vc/. +[^6]: UK Companies House, personal appointments of "Khalid Bin Bader Bin Saud Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz AL SAUD," https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/qEEjrdlLsxBzKgtrPk3zXU_hYPc/appointments. +[^7]: Arab News, "Brig. Gen. Prince Bader bin Saud bin Mohammed Al Saud, assistant commander for special forces security at Makkah's Grand Mosque," September 23, 2019, https://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/brig-gen-prince-bader-bin-saud-bin-mohammed-al-saud-assistant-commander-for-special-forces-security-at-makkahs-grand-mosque-1558696. +[^8]: Scott Stedman, post on X, October 13, 2026, https://x.com/ScottMStedman/status/2110106692914696402. +[^9]: Al-Jazirah, "Saud bin Mohammed: journey and history," January 22, 2016, https://www.al-jazirah.com/2016/20160122/wa1.htm (Arabic). +[^10]: International Astronautical Federation, biography of Turki Bin Saud Bin Mohammad Al Saud, https://www.iafastro.org/biographie/turki-bin-saud-bin-mohammad-al-saud.html; Arab News, "Who's Who: Dr. Munir bin Mahmoud El-Desouki, president of King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology," April 21, 2021, https://www.arabnews.com/node/1846711/saudi-arabia; Al Bayan, "Royal orders," December 27, 2018, https://www.albayan.ae/one-world/arabs/2018-12-27-1.3444982 (Arabic), and the Saudi Press Agency text, https://x.com/spagov/status/1078273878621896704. +[^11]: UK Companies House: PULSED FUSION ENERGY LTD. (15717442), EUROPEAN LAUNCH SYSTEM LTD (15727737) and SOLID ORBIT LTD (15755615), officers and persons with significant control, https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/15717442, /15727737 and /15755615. +[^12]: Khalid Bin Bader Al Saud, "Introducing Echelon," founder's letter, Riyadh, October 2026, https://www.echelon.inc/ and https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/introducing-echelon-khalid-bin-bader-al-saud-oycuc/. +[^13]: Wamda, "Saudi AI startup Echelon secures backing from East40, RAED Ventures and Avra," October 7, 2026 (Arabic edition), archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20261013214422/https://www.wamda.com/2026/10/saudi-ai-startup-echelon-secures-backing-east40-raed-ventures-avra-arabic; Dealroom, "Saudi AI company Echelon launches with backing from Ben Horowitz, Avra and others," October 8, 2026, https://dealroom.co/news/160932-saudi-ai-company-echelon-launches-with-backing-from-ben-horowitz-avra-an/. +[^14]: Andreessen Horowitz, "Investing in Nash," July 26, 2022, https://a16z.com/announcement/investing-in-nash/; TechCrunch, "Nash raises cash to help merchants manage local deliveries," July 26, 2022, https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/26/nash-raises-cash-to-help-merchants-manage-local-deliveries/.