On the 19th of December this month, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey was assassinated by a Turkish police Officer who pretended to be one of the envoy's security personnel.
The Russian Ambassador, Andrei Karlov was shot dead when he was giving a speech in an art gallary in Ankara on Monday. The shooter was eventually killed during a gun battle with Turkey security forces.
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After the incident, Apple has been approached by both Russian and Turkish authorities to help unlock the iPhone 4S which was recovered from the shooter. Russia believes if the phone is unlocked and accessed, they could get a clue that might link to the murder and possibly, various terrorists organizations.
Apple is expected to decline the request as was the case of Apple vs FBI when Apple refused to help the FBI in unlocking an iPhone belonging to a San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook. The FBI later unlocked the iPhone through a group of hackers and paid almost a million Dollars for the job.
MacReports and other media says that Russian government is reportedly sending a team of experts to Turkey to help in unlocking the phone. Apple in her defense during the Apple vs FBI case hint its fears that any backdoor it developed in accessing the phone might eventually end up falling in the wrong hands.
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The shooter was eventually identified as a 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas an off-duty officer who used his police ID to gain access to the Ankara art gallery where the Russian envoy was giving his speech. The shooter was said to scream out "Don't forget Aleppo" and also some jihadist slogan during the assassination of the Russian Ambassador.