Apple Slams AG Barr Statement on Absence of ‘Substantive Assistance’ in Pensacola Investigation

On Monday, US Attorney General William Barr claimed that “Apple has not given us any substantive assistance” in an investigation into a December 2019 shooting at the Pensacola Naval Air Station, describing the attack as “an act of terrorism”.

Apple, responding to the attorney general’s remarks, noted that, “When law enforcement requests our assistance, our teams work around the clock to provide them with the information we have”.

According to the statement issued on Monday, Apple has “produced a wide variety of information associated with the investigation” shortly after the FBI’s first request.

Barr, speaking to members of the press at the Department of Justice earlier on Monday, said that even though Apple was asked “for their help in unlocking the shooter’s iPhones”, the company has not provided “substantive assistance”.

Apple, in its reply, noted that it responded “promptly, often within hours, sharing information with FBI offices in Jacksonville, Pensacola and New York”. 

Apple claimed that it learned about the existence of a second iPhone associated with the investigation only on 6 January, when the FBI notified the company about the need of additional assistance.

In the statement, Apple highlighted that “law enforcement has access to more data than ever before in history, so Americans do not have to choose between weakening encryption and solving investigations”.

On 6 December, a Saudi national, identified by US media as Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, a cadet in a US Navy flight training program, opened fire at Naval Air Station Pensacola, killing three people and injuring another eight before being gunned down by police.

The Pentagon later announced the termination of operational training for Saudi soldiers in the United States for an indefinite period.

Sourse: sputniknews.com