FBI unlocks gunman’s iPhone, ending legal battle with Apple

The FBI has successfully used a mystery technique without Apple’s help to break into an iPhone linked to the gunman in a California mass shooting.

The surprise development effectively ends a court battle between Apple and the Obama administration.

The US government told a court that it had accessed data on gunman Syed Farook’s iPhone and no longer requires Apple’s assistance.

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 US magistrate last month ordered Apple to provide the FBI with software to help it hack into Farook’s work-issued iPhone.

The order sparked a debate pitting digital privacy rights against national security concerns.

US agency uses mystery technique to break into phone linked to California shootings