U.S. officials say the gunman in a deadly attack at a military base in Pensacola, Florida, last December was meticulous in his planning and had been radicalized overseas for at least five years.
The FBI says it has found a link between the gunman in the attack late last year at the Pensacola Naval Air Station and an al-Qaida operative.
“Thanks to the great work of the FBI – and no thanks to Apple – we were able to unlock Alshamrani’s phones,” said Attorney General Barr. “The trove of information found on these phones has proven to be invaluable to this ongoing investigation and critical to the security of the American people. However, if not for our FBI’s ingenuity, some luck, and hours upon hours of time and resources, this information would have remained undiscovered. The bottom line: our national security cannot remain in the hands of big corporations who put dollars over lawful access and public safety. The time has come for a legislative solution.”
The gunman was killed by a sheriff’s deputy during the rampage at a classroom building, where he had been undergoing flight training.
The FBI has found a link between the gunman in a deadly attack at a military base last December and an al-Qaida operative.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
