NEW: @TheJusticeDept AG William Barr touts "significant developments" into deadly December shooting at @NASPCOLA that killed 3 and wounded 8
NEW: Information found on phones of shooter, Saudi Air Force Lt. Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, ties him directly to #AQAP per Atty Gen William Barr
@FBI Dir. Chritopher Wray: Info on the phones show @NASPCOLA shooting "brutal culmination of years of planning"
Alshamrani "talked w/#AQAP about his plans and tactics" in the months leading up to the shooting, @FBI's Wray "He was helping the organization make the most he could out of his killings"
US can now see Alshamrani for what her was - "a determined AQAP terrorist who spent years preparing to attack us" per @FBI's Wray
Information found on Alshamrani's phones also led to recent counterterror operation against his #AQAP contact in #Yemen, per Atty Gen William Barr
"A counterterrorism operation targeting Abdullah al-Maliki, one of #Alshamrani's overseas associates was recently conducted in #Yemen" per AG Barr "We will not hesitate to act against those who harm Americans"
"Right now we & our partners are exploiting the evidence from this investigation, pursuing the killer's potential associates & the new evidence that these devices can now lead us to" per @FBI's Wray
"I must also express great disappointment that it took over 4 months & large sums of taxpayer dollars to obtain evidence that should have been easily and quickly available when we obtained court orders" says Atty Gen William Barr
"Apple has made a business & marketing decision to design its phones in a way only the user can unlock the contents no matter what the circumstances" per AG Barr
"In cases like this when the user is a terrorist...Apple's decision has dangerous consequences for the public safety"
.@TheJusticeDept Atty Gen William Barr slamming @Apple: "If technology companies like Apple are willing to oblige the demands of authoritarian regimes they certainly have no excuse for failing to cooperate w/rule of law nations that respect civil liberties & privacy rights"
"The developments in this case demonstrate a need for a legislative solution" says AG Barr
NEW: "The new information provided by Director Wray and Attorney General Barr underscores the threats to our nation posed by al-Qa’ida and its affiliates" per @DeptofDefense in statement
“Based on the FBI findings, and in addition to already executed protective measures, the Department will take further prudent and effective measures to safeguard our people" per @EsperDoD in statement
MORE: new measures @DeptofDefense is putting in place in response to December's deadly shooting at @NASPCOLA
"We continue to work with the @FBI as they uncover more information pertaining to the terrorist [#Alshamrani], his links with al-Qa’ida, and the methods he used to conceal this from us" per Pentagon statement
#Alshamrani's attack on @NASPCOLA "It is certainly more than just inspired" per @FBI Dir Christopher Wray "We know for example that he was sharing plans & tactics with them..."
Will @TheJusticeDept investigate @BarackObama or @JoeBiden?
"I'm not going to comment on what the president of Vice President Biden, for that matter say in connection with their campaigns"
"There have been increasing attempts to use the criminal justice system as a political weapon" per AG Barr "This is not a good development"
"As long as I'm attorney general, the criminal justice system will not be used for partisan political ends"
"it is critical that we have an election where the American ppl are allowed to make a decision, a choice between President Trump & Vice President Biden based on a robust debate of policy issues" per AG Barr
"We cannot allow this process to be hijacked by efforts to drum up criminal investigations of either candidate" per @TheJusticeDept's Barr
MORE: @TheJusticeDept Atty Gen William Barr goes on to say what happened to @POTUS in #Election2016 & during the 1st part of his term "was abhorrent. It was a grave injustice & it was unprecedented in American history"
"The law enforcement & intelligence apparatus of this country were involved in advanced a false & utter baseless #Russia|n collusion narrative against the president" per AG Barr "The proper investigative & proprietorial standards of the Dept of Justice were abused, in my view"
"The Durham investigation is trying to get to the bottom of what happened" per AG Barr "It will determine if there were any federal laws broken. And if there were those who broke the laws will be held to account"
"But this cannot be and it will not be a tit for tat exercise" per AG Barr
"Based on the information I have today, I don't expect Mr. Durham's work will lead to a criminal investigation of either man [@BarackObama or @JoeBiden]" says @TheJusticeDept's William Barr
"I think what this investigation reveals is something that we've been saying for some time, which is that #alQaida's offshoots including A#QAP remain intent on attacking us wherever they can" per @FBI Dir Wray "I think it also illustrates how dangerous just 1 operative can be"
"The al-Maliki group [of #AQAP] has been seriously degraded" per @TheJusticeDept's Barr "I'm very pleased with the result of the counterterrosim operation"
re #AQAP
"We have not identified any current threat here in the US or current operative here in the US based on that information [from #Alshamrani's iPhones]" per @FBI's Wray
More from @TheJusticeDept on connections between former Saudi Air Force 2nd Lt. Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani & #AQAP"
Alshamrani "radicalized by 2015 & having connected & associated with AQAP operatives, joined the Royal Saudi Air Force in order to carry out a “special operation""
#Alshamrani "was communicating with #AQAP right up until the attack, and conferred with his associates until the night before he undertook the murders" per @TheJusticeDept
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