FBI looking to crack Minnesota mall terrorist’s iPhone

The FBI is attempting to gain access to the iPhone that belonged to Dahir Adan, the culprit in the recent stabbing attack in a Minnesota mall, Wired reports. Last month, Adan randomly stabbed 10 people in the mall before being shot by police; at a press conference today in St. Cloud, Minnesota, FBI special agent Rich Thornton noted that the agency has obtained Adan’s iPhone, which is locked with a passcode, and is “in the process of assessing our legal and technical options to gain access to this device and the data it may contain.” Thonton did not reveal any details about the iPhone such as the model or version of iOS being used on the device, which will be key factors in whether the FBI will be able to circumvent its security measures.
The new situation echoes the FBI’s attempts earlier this year to compel Apple to help it break into the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone, a case that prompted Apple to issue a strong privacy statement that led to a legal battle between Apple and the FBI. The U.S. Justice Department later dropped the battle with Apple after going to a third-party agency instead.