Barr asks Apple to unlock Pensacola shooter’s phone

Attorney General William Barr announced Monday that a December shooting at a Pensacola, Fla., military base that left three dead was an “act of terrorism” and that the shooter was motivated by “jihadist ideology.”

Barr made the comments while delivering the results from a month-long investigation into the attack, which was carried out by a member of the Royal Saudi Air Force who had enrolled in the Naval Air Station Pensacola training program.

Asks Apple for help: In an unusual plea to a tech company, Barr called on Apple to help investigators unlock the shooter’s phones, saying that it was important for investigators to “know with whom and about what the shooter was communicating before he died.”

“This situation perfectly illustrates why it is critical that investigators be able to get access to digital evidence once they have obtained a court order based on probable cause,” he said, noting that Apple had yet to give any substantive assistance. “We call on Apple and other technology companies to help us find a solution so that we can better protect the lives of Americans and prevent future attacks.”