Locked iPhones may have insight into Pensacola NAS shooter
Federal investigators are reportedly asking for assistance in unlocking two iPhones believed to be owned by
Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, who killed three people in late 2019 at the Pensacola Naval Air Station.
On Dec. 6, Alshamrani, a Saudi aviation student, opened fire inside a base classroom. Alshamrani was shot by an Escambia County sheriff's deputy during the attack.
Alshamrani was a second lieutenant in the Saudi Air Force.
The FBI is now asking Apple to unlock two iPhones belonging to Alshamrani, according to NBC’s Pete Williams.
Exclusive from @PeteWilliamsNBC: The FBI is asking Apple to help unlock two iPhones that investigators believe were owned by Mohamed Saeed Alshamrani, the man accused in last month's shooting attack at the Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida that killed three people.
— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) January 7, 2020
The FBI letter said officials have sought help from other federal agencies, experts in foreign countries and "familiar contacts in the third-party vendor community”—a possible reference to the vendor that helped the FBI open the locked phone of the 2015 San Bernardino shooter.
— (@KenDilanianNBC)Jan 07 2020
A law enforcement official told @PeteWilliamsNBC there's an additional problem with one of the iPhones believed to belong to Alshamrani. He apparently fired a round into the phone during the shooting attack, further complicating efforts to unlock it.
— (@KenDilanianNBC)Jan 07 2020
Eight other people were injured in the incident, including two deputies who confronted Alshamrani. One deputy was shot in the arm, and the other was shot in the knee. Both are recovering.
NAS Pensacola employs more than 16,000 military and 7,400 civilian personnel, according to its website. It sprawls along the waterfront southwest of downtown Pensacola and dominates the economy of the surrounding area.
It’s home to the Blue Angels flight demonstration team and includes the National Naval Aviation Museum, a popular regional tourist attraction.
The shooting was the second at a U.S. naval base in late 2019. A sailor whose submarine was docked at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, opened fire on three civilian employees, killing two before taking his own life.
