EncryptionItalian police cannot unlock Bari terrorist iPhone

Published 12 May 2016

The Italian security services have been unable to unlock the Apple iPhone 6 plus of a suspect member of a terrorist ring in the city of Bari. Analysts say the development will likely result in another stand-off between Apple and a government fighting terrorism, similar to the stand-off between Apple and the U.S. government over the iPhone used by the San Bernardino terrorists.

The Italian security services have been unable to unlock the Apple iPhone 6 plus of a suspect member of a terrorist ring in the city of Bari.

Analysts say the development will likely result in another stand-off between Apple and a government fighting terrorism, similar to the stand-off between Apple and the U.S. government over the iPhone used by the San Bernardino terrorists.

The Local quotes Roberto Rossi, a prosecutor in the southern port city of Bari, who said police had been unable to penetrate an iPhone that belonged to a suspect named as Mansoor Ahmadzai.

Rossi said investigators had been able to analyze the contents of two Samsung Galaxy phones which were used by two other suspects who were arrested, and that the phones had provided valuable photographic and video evidence of “inspections” that had allegedly been made of various sites.

“It must be said that here we have found the same difficulty that found was encountered by the FBI, because we seized an iPhone that we were unable to breach. This is a real problem … because the balance between protection of privacy and the protection of the person is a serious problem that must be viewed on an international level,” Rossi said, according to the Italian daily La Stampa.

The Local notes that on Wednesday, FBI director James Comey said there would be more cases in which the U.S. government would take companies to court if they refuse to allow access to their devices. Comey told reporters that FBI experts have examined about 4,000 devices since October and have been unable to unlock approximately 500.

The three suspects who were arrested in Bari on Tuesday were part of a terror cell that was plotting possible attacks in Italy and the United Kingdom.