14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has absolutely no intention to help the FBI break into the iPhone used by San Bernardino attackers, and there were voices claiming that the company shouldn’t risk compromising the safety of its customers since there’s no clear evidence that the device actually stores valuable info.
But according to San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan, investigators are still trying to find the third person that was allegedly involved in the terrorist attacks and it’s now believed that this iPhone is holding information about him.
Back in December when the terrorist couple assaulted the office building in San Bernardino, a third person was believed to be involved in the attacks too, and 911 calls indeed seem to confirm that another shooter fled the scene before the police arrived.
San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos explained in papers filed in a federal court that the iPhone that Apple refuses to unlock could hold information about this third person, thus urging the company once again to collaborate with investigators in order to access details on the device.
“No personal info on work phones”
On the other hand, Salihin Kondoker, the husband of the San Bernardino shooting survivor Anies Kondoker, explained that it’s very unlikely that the phone holds information regarding the attackers, as county employees do not use their work phones for personal matters.
“This was common knowledge among my wife and other employees. Why then would someone store vital contacts related to an attack on a phone they knew the county had access to? They destroyed their personal phones after the attack. And I believe they did that for a reason,” Kondoker said in a letter published on Apple’s website.
Despite the growing pressure, Apple isn’t willing to help the FBI break into the San Bernardino iPhone, pointing to the same risk of exposing all customers in the United States as the main reason.