In yet another battle between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the tech giant Apple, the former has been trying to crack open a password-locked iPhone, belonging to Dahir Adan, the private security firm employee who stabbed 10 people at a Minnesota mall this September. In February 2016, the FBI had asked a court to ask Apple to help hack the encrypted iPhone 5c of another terrorist, San Bernardino shooter Rizwan Farook. FBI director James Comey had then informed the public that the demand was just for a terrorist’s phone,instead of asking for the secrets of every iPhone owner. Now, what seems to be another legal battle between the two, another similar case has cropped up, where the FBI sought Apple’s help to unlock the iPhone of a killer. Dahir Adan, the man who stabbed 10 people in Minnesota was shot and killed by a police officer.
Meanwhile, ISIS had claimed credit for the attack through social media. At a press conference, FBI special agent Rich Thorton said that the FBI was “in the process of assessing our legal and technical options to gain access to this device and the data it may contain.” However, the model of the operating system of the iPhone which was used by Adan was not revealed by Thornton, and it is important to note that, after iOS 8 that was launched on 2014, Apple devices have been encrypted, so much so, that not even Apple can decrypt the contents of the device. However, the Bureau has not filed a lawsuit against Apple yet, like the previous instance. Last time, which the case was going on, FBI abruptly withdrew the case and claimed that it had found a hack to enter the iPhone and also claimed to have had paid $1.3 million for it.
