Q: The FBI dropped its lawsuit against Apple when an outside group was able to unlock the iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters. What information, if any, was obtained from that phone?
—George Cleek, Fayetteville
A: The FBI determined the two shooters didn't call anyone after the attack that killed 14 people at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, Calif., on Dec. 2, CNN.com reported.
CNN.com, through law enforcement sources, reported earlier this week that the FBI recovered data from an 18-minute gap that showed no calls from the iPhone 5C during that time.
Authorities thought Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, might have attempted to contact others involved in the attacks, CNN.com reported.
The phone didn’t have “evidence of contacts with other ISIS supporters or the use of encrypted communications during the period the FBI was concerned about,” CNN.com wrote.
There was no information as to why the couple drove around the cities of San Bernardino and Redlands after the attack.
They were killed in a shootout with police three hours and 42 minutes after the attack, the Los Angeles Times reported.
An outside group helped federal officials gain access to the phone in late March.
The phone was using Apple’s iOS 9 mobile operating system, the New York Times reported.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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