US asks Apple to unlock iPhones used by Saudi terrorist in Pensacola attack

[ad_1] Apple will not help authorities to unlock iPhones used by a Saudi Arabian gunman who killed three people and injured eight others in an attack on a US air base that White House officials have declared an act of terrorism, according to US attorney general William Barr .

Department of Justice officials announced that the tech giant has turned over iCloud materials but has refused to help give federal investigators access to two phones used by Second Lt Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani , a member of the Royal Saudi Air Force who was training with the American military.

On 6 December 2019, Mr Alshamrani entered a building on the grounds of Pensacola Naval Air Station and opened fire, killing three US sailors and wounding eight other Americas. Download the new Independent Premium app Sharing the full story, not just the headlines Download now The shooting lasted 15 minutes. A Florida sheriff's deputy killed Alshamrani during the attack.

Officials determined that Alshamrani was "motivated by jihadist ideology" and posted a message on social media on 11 September 2019 reading "the countdown has begun". leftCreated with Sketch. rightCreated with Sketch. 1/50 13 January 2020 Mini's driver Jakub Przygonski and his co-driver Timo Gottschalk compete in Stage 8 of the Dakar 2020 around Wadi Ad-Dawasir

AFP via Getty 2/50 12 January 2020 People take photos of a phreatic explosion from the Taal volcano from the town of Tagaytay in Cavite province, southwest of Manila

AFP via Getty 3/50 11 January 2020 An injured Syrian child cries after being transported to a clinic for treatment following an air strike by pro-regime forces on the nothwestern city of Idlib

AFP via Getty 4/50 10 January 2020 Vets and volunteers treat koalas at Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, southwest of Adelaide, Australia

AAP Image/Reuters 5/50 9 January 2020 Devotees follow the carriage transporting the statue of the Black Nazarene during an annual religious procession in its honour in Manila. Thousands of barefoot devotees joined the religious procession hoping to touch a centuries-old icon of Jesus Christ, called the Black Nazarene, which is believed to have miraculous powers

AFP via Getty 6/50 8 January 2020 People stand near the wreckage after a Ukrainian plane carrying 176 passengers crashed near Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran

ISNA/AFP via Getty 7/50 7 January 2020 Mourners gather around a vehicle carrying the coffin of Iranian top general Qasem Soleimani during the final stage of funeral processions, in his hometown Kerman. Soleimani was killed outside Baghdad airport Friday in a drone strike ordered by US President Donald Trump, ratcheting up tensions with Iran which has vowed "severe revenge". The assassination of the 62-year-old heightened international concern about a new war in the Middle East and rattled financial markets

AFP via Getty 8/50 6 January 2020 Actor Rose McGowan speaks at a news conference outside a Manhattan courthouse after the arrival of Harvey Weinstein, in New York. Weinstein is on trial on charges of rape and sexual assault, more than two years after a torrent of women began accusing him of misconduct

AP 9/50 5 January 2020 Mourners march behind a vehicle carrying the coffins of slain major general Qassem Soleimani and others as they pay homage in the Iranian city of Mashhad

Tasnim News/AFP/Getty 10/50 4 January 2020 Rescue personnel search for bodies among mud and debris following a landslide caused by heavy rain in West Java, Indonesia

EPA 11/50 3 January 2020 A burning vehicle at the Baghdad International Airport is seen following an airstrike in Baghdad, Iraq. The Pentagon said Thursday that the US military has killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force, at the direction of President Donald Trump

AP 12/50 2 January 2020 Boats are pulled ashore as smoke and wildfires rage behind Lake Conjola, Australia. Thousands of tourists fled Australia's wildfire-ravaged eastern coast ahead of worsening conditions as the military started to evacuate people trapped on the shore further south

Robert Oerlemans via AP 13/50 1 January 2020 Photographer Matt Roberts reacts to seeing his sister's house destroyed by a bushfire in Quaama, New South Wales, Australia

EPA 14/50 31 December 2019 A man rides a donkey cart against the last setting sun of 2019 in Lahore, Pakistan

Reuters 15/50 30 December 2019 A Skycrane drops water on a bushfire in Bundoora, Melbourne, Australia. According to local media reports, thousands of residents and tourists were forced to evacuate in the state of Victoria as soaring temperatures and winds fanned several bushfires around the state

EPA 16/50 29 December 2019 A jumper soars through the air during a trial jump at the first stage of the 68th four hills ski jumping tournament in Oberstdorf, Germany

AP 17/50 28 December 2019 Revellers dressed in mock military garb throw eggs as they take part in the "Els Enfarinats" battle in the southeastern Spanish town of Ibi on December 28, 2019. - During this 200-year-old traditional festival participants known as Els Enfarinats (those covered in flour) dress in military clothes and stage a mock coup d'etat as they battle using flour, eggs and firecrackers outside the city town hall as part of the celebrations of the Day of the Innocents, a traditional day in Spain for pulling pranks.

AFP via Getty 18/50 27 December 2019 The Panamanian-flag cargo ship "Zelek Star" is pictured after being washed up on a beach in the southern Israeli coastal city of Ashdod during a storm

AFP via Getty 19/50 26 December 2019 Monks wearing solar filter glasses watch the "ring of fire" solar eclipse at the Gaden monastery in a Tibetan colony in Teginkoppa, India

AFP via Getty 20/50 25 December 2019 A participant in a Darth Vader costume jumps into the water during the 110th edition of the 'Copa Nadal' (Christmas Cup) swimming competition in Barcelona's Port Vell. The traditional 200-meter Christmas swimming race included more than 300 participants on Barcelona's old harbour

AFP/Getty 21/50 24 December 2019 Children dressed as Santa Claus during celebrations on Christmas Eve at a school in Amritsar

AFP via Getty 22/50 23 December 2019 Palestinians wearing Christmas costumes distribute gifts to children seated atop the rubble of a house demolished by Israel, reportedly for not being built with official licensing in the village of al-Khader, west of of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank

AFP via Getty 23/50 22 December 2019 A journalist gets pepper-sprayed after a heated exchange with police during a rally in Hong Kong to show support for the Uighur minority in China. Hong Kong riot police broke up a solidarity rally for China's Uighurs -- with one officer drawing a pistol -- as the city's pro-democracy movement likened their plight to that of the oppressed Muslim minority

AFP via Getty 24/50 21 December 2019 Children react as a Bengal tiger licks the glass surrounding its enclosure during the "Animal Christmas Party", where the youths were treated to a tour of the Malabon Zoo, in Manila

AFP via Getty 25/50 20 December 2019 In this long exposure photo, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the Boeing Starliner crew capsule lifts off on an orbital flight test to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral

AP 26/50 19 December 2019 A freediver wearing a Father Christmas outfit poses underwater off the coast of the northern city of Batroun

AFP via Getty 27/50 18 December 2019 People rally in support of the impeachment of US President Donald Trump in front of the US Capitol, as the House readies for the historic vote

AFP via Getty 28/50 17 December 2019 Protesters set fire to dumpsters and tires as they block a road in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon

AFP via Getty 29/50 16 December 2019 People ride a merry-go-round at the Christmas Market at the Red Square in Moscow

AFP via Getty 30/50 15 December 2019 The Red Rebels, part of the Extinction Rebellion Australia demonstrator group, participate in a climate protest rally in Sydney. The group rallied in front of the landmark Sydney Opera House demanding urgent climate action from Australia's government, as bushfire smoke choking the city caused health problems to spike

AFP via Getty 31/50 14 December 2019 Protesters block a road after setting buses on fire during a demonstration against the Indian government's Citizenship Amendment Bill in Howrah, on the outskirts of Kolkata, India. Protests against a divisive new citizenship law raged on as Washington and London issued travel warnings for northeast India following days of violent clashes that have killed two people so far

AFP via Getty 32/50 13 December 2019 A huge cloud of black smoke raises over a burning warehouse in the southern outskirts of Moscow. There were no immediate reports of any casualties, but one fire fighter was injured and 25 ambulance cars and a special air testing vehicle are at the site, they added

EPA 33/50 12 December 2019 A slow shutter speed shot shows oarsmen in traditional costume rowing during the Royal Barge Procession to mark the conclusion of the Royal Coronation ceremony, on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand. The ceremony honours King Rama X after his complete accession to the throne

EPA 34/50 11 December 2019 A boy inspects his damaged home after after an attack near the Bagram Air Base in Kabul, Afghanistan, A powerful suicide bombing targeted an under-construction medical facility near the main American base north of the capital

AP 35/50 10 December 2019 Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg arrives to participate in the event "Unite behind the science" within the UN Climate Change Conference COP25 in Madrid

AFP via Getty 36/50 9 December 2019 White Island (Whakaari) volcano, as it erupts, in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. According to police, at least five people have died in the volcanic erruption

EPA/Michael Schade 37/50 8 December 2019 People gather amidst the ruins of a building, destroyed during reported Syrian regime and Russian air strikes the previous day in the town of Balyun. The reported air raids killed 19 civilians, eight of them children, in the country's last major opposition bastion

AFP via Getty 38/50 7December 2019 A French CGT unionist holds up the union's flag as he demonstrates against unemployment amidst smoke bombs in Nantes. The most serious nationwide strike to hit France in years caused new misery for weekend travellers, with defiant unions dismissing proposals by the government and warning walkouts would last well into next week

AFP via Getty 39/50 6 December 2019 People stand on top of a collapsed six-storey building in Nairobi, Kenya. Local media reported that several people are feared trapped as the rescue operation continues

EPA 40/50 5 December 2019 Indonesia players celebrate a point during their match against Vietnam in the women's volleyball preliminary round of the Southeast Asian Games being held in the Philippines

Reuters 41/50 4 December 2019 Firefighters work to contain a large fire at an industrial building at Inlet Road inn Auckland, New Zealand

Getty 42/50 3 December 2019 Doan Quynh Nam Tran of Vietnam competes in the women's gymnastics at the SEA Games (Southeast Asian Games) in Manila

AFP via Getty 43/50 2 December 2019 A youth plays on foamy discharge, caused by pollutants, as it mixes with the surf at a beach in Chennai

AFP via Getty 44/50 1 December 2019 Southeast Asian Games at the Royce Hotel, Mabalacat, Philippines. Vietnam's Pham Hong Anh in action during her single dance final.

Reuters 45/50 30 November 2019 A woman holds a coloured flag at the Botswana Pride Parade in Gaborone. The parade is the first one organised in Botswana, after the Court ruled on June 11 in favour of decriminalising homosexuality, which had been punishable by a jail term of up to seven years.

AFP via Getty 46/50 29 November 2019 A child holds a placard during a 'drop dead' flashmob protest against climate change consequences at Lumpini Park in Bangkok, Thailand

Reuters 47/50 28 November 2019 Pro-democracy protesters hold an SOS sign and US national flags during a Thanksgiving rally in Edinburgh Place, Hong Kong. Protesters were thanking US President Donald Trump for signing into a law 'The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act Hong Kong', provoking an angry backlash from the Chinese government. Hong Kong is in its sixth month of mass protests, which were originally triggered by a now withdrawn extradition bill, and have since turned into a wider pro-democracy movement

EPA 48/50 27 November 2019 Rescuers with a dog search through the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Durres, western Albania

AP 49/50 26 November 2019 A shepherd leads a flock of sheep on a pontoon bridge in Allahabad

AFP via Getty 50/50 25 November 2019 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a female company belonging to 5492 troops

KCNA via Reuters 1/50 13 January 2020 Mini's driver Jakub Przygonski and his co-driver Timo Gottschalk compete in Stage 8 of the Dakar 2020 around Wadi Ad-Dawasir

AFP via Getty 2/50 12 January 2020 People take photos of a phreatic explosion from the Taal volcano from the town of Tagaytay in Cavite province, southwest of Manila

AFP via Getty 3/50 11 January 2020 An injured Syrian child cries after being transported to a clinic for treatment following an air strike by pro-regime forces on the nothwestern city of Idlib

AFP via Getty 4/50 10 January 2020 Vets and volunteers treat koalas at Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, southwest of Adelaide, Australia

AAP Image/Reuters 5/50 9 January 2020 Devotees follow the carriage transporting the statue of the Black Nazarene during an annual religious procession in its honour in Manila. Thousands of barefoot devotees joined the religious procession hoping to touch a centuries-old icon of Jesus Christ, called the Black Nazarene, which is believed to have miraculous powers

AFP via Getty 6/50 8 January 2020 People stand near the wreckage after a Ukrainian plane carrying 176 passengers crashed near Imam Khomeini airport in Tehran

ISNA/AFP via Getty 7/50 7 January 2020 Mourners gather around a vehicle carrying the coffin of Iranian top general Qasem Soleimani during the final stage of funeral processions, in his hometown Kerman. Soleimani was killed outside Baghdad airport Friday in a drone strike ordered by US President Donald Trump, ratcheting up tensions with Iran which has vowed "severe revenge". The assassination of the 62-year-old heightened international concern about a new war in the Middle East and rattled financial markets

AFP via Getty 8/50 6 January 2020 Actor Rose McGowan speaks at a news conference outside a Manhattan courthouse after the arrival of Harvey Weinstein, in New York. Weinstein is on trial on charges of rape and sexual assault, more than two years after a torrent of women began accusing him of misconduct

AP 9/50 5 January 2020 Mourners march behind a vehicle carrying the coffins of slain major general Qassem Soleimani and others as they pay homage in the Iranian city of Mashhad

Tasnim News/AFP/Getty 10/50 4 January 2020 Rescue personnel search for bodies among mud and debris following a landslide caused by heavy rain in West Java, Indonesia

EPA 11/50 3 January 2020 A burning vehicle at the Baghdad International Airport is seen following an airstrike in Baghdad, Iraq. The Pentagon said Thursday that the US military has killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force, at the direction of President Donald Trump

AP 12/50 2 January 2020 Boats are pulled ashore as smoke and wildfires rage behind Lake Conjola, Australia. Thousands of tourists fled Australia's wildfire-ravaged eastern coast ahead of worsening conditions as the military started to evacuate people trapped on the shore further south

Robert Oerlemans via AP 13/50 1 January 2020 Photographer Matt Roberts reacts to seeing his sister's house destroyed by a bushfire in Quaama, New South Wales, Australia

EPA 14/50 31 December 2019 A man rides a donkey cart against the last setting sun of 2019 in Lahore, Pakistan

Reuters 15/50 30 December 2019 A Skycrane drops water on a bushfire in Bundoora, Melbourne, Australia. According to local media reports, thousands of residents and tourists were forced to evacuate in the state of Victoria as soaring temperatures and winds fanned several bushfires around the state

EPA 16/50 29 December 2019 A jumper soars through the air during a trial jump at the first stage of the 68th four hills ski jumping tournament in Oberstdorf, Germany

AP 17/50 28 December 2019 Revellers dressed in mock military garb throw eggs as they take part in the "Els Enfarinats" battle in the southeastern Spanish town of Ibi on December 28, 2019. - During this 200-year-old traditional festival participants known as Els Enfarinats (those covered in flour) dress in military clothes and stage a mock coup d'etat as they battle using flour, eggs and firecrackers outside the city town hall as part of the celebrations of the Day of the Innocents, a traditional day in Spain for pulling pranks.

AFP via Getty 18/50 27 December 2019 The Panamanian-flag cargo ship "Zelek Star" is pictured after being washed up on a beach in the southern Israeli coastal city of Ashdod during a storm

AFP via Getty 19/50 26 December 2019 Monks wearing solar filter glasses watch the "ring of fire" solar eclipse at the Gaden monastery in a Tibetan colony in Teginkoppa, India

AFP via Getty 20/50 25 December 2019 A participant in a Darth Vader costume jumps into the water during the 110th edition of the 'Copa Nadal' (Christmas Cup) swimming competition in Barcelona's Port Vell. The traditional 200-meter Christmas swimming race included more than 300 participants on Barcelona's old harbour

AFP/Getty 21/50 24 December 2019 Children dressed as Santa Claus during celebrations on Christmas Eve at a school in Amritsar

AFP via Getty 22/50 23 December 2019 Palestinians wearing Christmas costumes distribute gifts to children seated atop the rubble of a house demolished by Israel, reportedly for not being built with official licensing in the village of al-Khader, west of of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank

AFP via Getty 23/50 22 December 2019 A journalist gets pepper-sprayed after a heated exchange with police during a rally in Hong Kong to show support for the Uighur minority in China. Hong Kong riot police broke up a solidarity rally for China's Uighurs -- with one officer drawing a pistol -- as the city's pro-democracy movement likened their plight to that of the oppressed Muslim minority

AFP via Getty 24/50 21 December 2019 Children react as a Bengal tiger licks the glass surrounding its enclosure during the "Animal Christmas Party", where the youths were treated to a tour of the Malabon Zoo, in Manila

AFP via Getty 25/50 20 December 2019 In this long exposure photo, the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying the Boeing Starliner crew capsule lifts off on an orbital flight test to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral

AP 26/50 19 December 2019 A freediver wearing a Father Christmas outfit poses underwater off the coast of the northern city of Batroun

AFP via Getty 27/50 18 December 2019 People rally in support of the impeachment of US President Donald Trump in front of the US Capitol, as the House readies for the historic vote

AFP via Getty 28/50 17 December 2019 Protesters set fire to dumpsters and tires as they block a road in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon

AFP via Getty 29/50 16 December 2019 People ride a merry-go-round at the Christmas Market at the Red Square in Moscow

AFP via Getty 30/50 15 December 2019 The Red Rebels, part of the Extinction Rebellion Australia demonstrator group, participate in a climate protest rally in Sydney. The group rallied in front of the landmark Sydney Opera House demanding urgent climate action from Australia's government, as bushfire smoke choking the city caused health problems to spike

AFP via Getty 31/50 14 December 2019 Protesters block a road after setting buses on fire during a demonstration against the Indian government's Citizenship Amendment Bill in Howrah, on the outskirts of Kolkata, India. Protests against a divisive new citizenship law raged on as Washington and London issued travel warnings for northeast India following days of violent clashes that have killed two people so far

AFP via Getty 32/50 13 December 2019 A huge cloud of black smoke raises over a burning warehouse in the southern outskirts of Moscow. There were no immediate reports of any casualties, but one fire fighter was injured and 25 ambulance cars and a special air testing vehicle are at the site, they added

EPA 33/50 12 December 2019 A slow shutter speed shot shows oarsmen in traditional costume rowing during the Royal Barge Procession to mark the conclusion of the Royal Coronation ceremony, on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand. The ceremony honours King Rama X after his complete accession to the throne

EPA 34/50 11 December 2019 A boy inspects his damaged home after after an attack near the Bagram Air Base in Kabul, Afghanistan, A powerful suicide bombing targeted an under-construction medical facility near the main American base north of the capital

AP 35/50 10 December 2019 Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg arrives to participate in the event "Unite behind the science" within the UN Climate Change Conference COP25 in Madrid

AFP via Getty 36/50 9 December 2019 White Island (Whakaari) volcano, as it erupts, in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. According to police, at least five people have died in the volcanic erruption

EPA/Michael Schade 37/50 8 December 2019 People gather amidst the ruins of a building, destroyed during reported Syrian regime and Russian air strikes the previous day in the town of Balyun. The reported air raids killed 19 civilians, eight of them children, in the country's last major opposition bastion

AFP via Getty 38/50 7December 2019 A French CGT unionist holds up the union's flag as he demonstrates against unemployment amidst smoke bombs in Nantes. The most serious nationwide strike to hit France in years caused new misery for weekend travellers, with defiant unions dismissing proposals by the government and warning walkouts would last well into next week

AFP via Getty 39/50 6 December 2019 People stand on top of a collapsed six-storey building in Nairobi, Kenya. Local media reported that several people are feared trapped as the rescue operation continues

EPA 40/50 5 December 2019 Indonesia players celebrate a point during their match against Vietnam in the women's volleyball preliminary round of the Southeast Asian Games being held in the Philippines

Reuters 41/50 4 December 2019 Firefighters work to contain a large fire at an industrial building at Inlet Road inn Auckland, New Zealand

Getty 42/50 3 December 2019 Doan Quynh Nam Tran of Vietnam competes in the women's gymnastics at the SEA Games (Southeast Asian Games) in Manila

AFP via Getty 43/50 2 December 2019 A youth plays on foamy discharge, caused by pollutants, as it mixes with the surf at a beach in Chennai

AFP via Getty 44/50 1 December 2019 Southeast Asian Games at the Royce Hotel, Mabalacat, Philippines. Vietnam's Pham Hong Anh in action during her single dance final.

Reuters 45/50 30 November 2019 A woman holds a coloured flag at the Botswana Pride Parade in Gaborone. The parade is the first one organised in Botswana, after the Court ruled on June 11 in favour of decriminalising homosexuality, which had been punishable by a jail term of up to seven years.

AFP via Getty 46/50 29 November 2019 A child holds a placard during a 'drop dead' flashmob protest against climate change consequences at Lumpini Park in Bangkok, Thailand

Reuters 47/50 28 November 2019 Pro-democracy protesters hold an SOS sign and US national flags during a Thanksgiving rally in Edinburgh Place, Hong Kong. Protesters were thanking US President Donald Trump for signing into a law 'The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act Hong Kong', provoking an angry backlash from the Chinese government. Hong Kong is in its sixth month of mass protests, which were originally triggered by a now withdrawn extradition bill, and have since turned into a wider pro-democracy movement

EPA 48/50 27 November 2019 Rescuers with a dog search through the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Durres, western Albania

AP 49/50 26 November 2019 A shepherd leads a flock of sheep on a pontoon bridge in Allahabad

AFP via Getty 50/50 25 November 2019 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a female company belonging to 5492 troops

KCNA via Reuters The gun used in the attack was lawfully purchased through a hunting license exemption. Read more Police recovered two iPhones belonging to Mr Alshamrani, but Mr Barr says that Apple "has not given us any substantive assistance" to help unlock them.

Doing so would likely compromise its end-to-end encryption systems at a time when it is aggressively promoting its privacy policies. Apple did not immediately respond to The Independent 's request for comment.

Attorney general Barr dismissed claims that other Saudi cadets who were training at the base took video of the attack as it unfolded. The shooter "arrived by himself" and videos that captured the attack's aftermath were not taken in coordination with Mr Alshamrani, officials said.

Mr Barr announced that the US will also expel more than a dozen Saudi servicemen who were also training with the US military.

A Pentagon review found that 21 Saudi servicemen training at the base possessed "derogatory material" — 17 of them posted "some jihadi or anti-American content" on their social media, and 15 "had some kind of contact with child pornography".

According to Mr Barr, US attorneys "independently reviewed each of the 21 cases involving derogatory information and determined that none of them would, in the normal course, result in federal prosecution". Only the best news in your inbox Saudi Arabian officials, however, determined that the servicemen "demonstrated conduct unbecoming an officer" and have been "dis-enrolled" from their training in the US. They will return to Saudi Arabia.

Mr Barr said the FBI "sought and received" a court order with probable cause to obtain Mr Alshamrani's phones to determine with whom he was communicating in the days and weeks leading up to the shooting.

According to the FBI, he fired a round into one of the phones, and the other phone was also damaged. Mr Barr says the FBI was able to repair the phones but they're engineered by Apple to "make it virtually impossible" to operate without the company's cooperation.

He said: "This situation perfectly illustrates why it is critical that investigators be able to get access to digital evidence once they have obtained a court order based on probable cause. We call on Apple and other technology companies to help us find a solution so that we can better protect the lives of Americans and prevent future attacks." [ad_2] Source link