http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2016/03/28/fbi-breaks-into-san-bernardino-gunmans-iphone-without-apples-help-ending-court-case.html?intcmp=hpbt3Published March 28, 2016 FoxNews.com
The U.S. Justice Department announced Monday it has successfully accessed data stored on the iPhone that belonged to the San Bernardino gunman without Apple's help, ending the court case against the tech company.
The surprise development effectively ends a pitched court battle between Apple and the Obama administration.
The government told a federal court Monday, without any details, that it accessed data on gunman Syed Farook's iPhone and no longer requires Apple's assistance.
“As the government noted in its filing today, the FBI has now successfully retrieved the data stored on the San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhone and therefore no longer requires the assistance from Apple required by this Court Order," DOJ spokeswoman Melaine Newman said in a statement. "The FBI is currently reviewing the information on the phone, consistent with standard investigatory procedures."
Farook and his wife died in a gun battle with police after killing 14 people in San Bernardino, California, in December.
Apple did not immediately comment on the development.
A U.S. magistrate last month ordered Apple to provide the FBI with software to help it hack into Farook's work-issued iPhone. The order touched off a debate pitting digital privacy rights against national security concerns.
