Italian investigators cannot unlock iPhone of alleged Bari terror ring suspect

Officials face setback similar to that of FBI after San Bernardino shooting, as other suspects' phones showed alleged evidence of 'inspections' of various sites

Italian investigators have been unable to unlock the Apple iPhone 6 plus of a suspect involved in an alleged terror ring in Bari, in a development that mirrored a similar setback faced by US law enforcement officials following the San Bernadino attack.

The development raises the prospects of another standoff between Apple and officials involved in a terror investigation, after the California technology company staunchly refused to cooperate with US investigators seeking to pull information from the phone that belonged to San Bernadino gunman Syed Farook.