The world was shocked last week when Andrei Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey, was assassinated by his local security detail. The assassin was said to be Turkish, and there was a proclamation on the injustice that is happening in Syria before bullets flew. Needless to say, the assassin was quickly taken down and did not survive the ordeal -- in fact, he expected it. Turkish authorities investigating the matter would like to make sure that all possible leads are covered, and information retrieved. Well, it seems that there is one piece in the puzzle that they are still trying to decipher -- the assassin’s iPhone 4s. This is certainly starting to sound like a rehash of the San Bernardino case, doesn’t it? Apple has been asked to assist in unlocking the piece of evidence known as the iPhone 4s, so that authorities are able to glean more insight into the man as well as his colleagues or friends who are on his handset.
Right now, the iPhone 4s remains locked, thanks to the protection afforded by a 4-digit passcode. So far, reported attempts to unlock the device has proven to be unsuccessful by local law enforcement agencies. Definitely conspiracy theorists are on the lookout for any kind of information on the iPhone 4s’ content, in hopes that juicy tidbits of detail might be able to help them draw up parallels to how World War I began.
It remains to be seen as at press time whether Apple would step in and assist the local authorities in the matter concerning the unlocking of the iPhone 4s. After all, history has shown that Apple would not do that -- not even in the San Bernardino shooting case, which happened on US grounds. This is an event that took place all the way in Turkey, and chances are the most Apple would do is to provide information on the iCloud backup, and that’s that. All in the name of principle, we supposed. We are also in the dark as to the iOS version which ran on the iPhone 4s.
While the Turkish authorities are doing their bit, you can also bet your bottom dollar that the Russian government are also looking into the matter. Russian hackers have certainly carved up a reputation for themselves in being highly skilled, so it is no surprise to hear that a technical team has already been dispatched to help out in the unlocking effort.
At the end of the day, the iPhone 4s will probably fall at the hands of a skilled hacker or hacking group. That was what happened with the iPhone 5c in the San Bernardino shooting incident, as the FBI used a third party to get the job done for an undisclosed amount. We would like to speculate that such services do not come cheap, and at least it covered all bases even though there was nothing useful or important on the iPhone 5c that showcased links between the San Bernardino shooters and other possible suspects, or even connection to known terrorist organizations.
