An unfortunate event unfolded last Dec. 19. when a Russian ambassador was assassinated. The perpetrator was later killed in a shootout with the authorities after which an unlocked iPhone 4s was recovered from the shooter. Now they are asking Apple to help in their investigations.

The shooter's iPhone 4s is protected by a standard 4-digit passcode. According to BGR, the security code could be bypassed rather easily but authorities are still asking the tech giant for assistance.

Mac Reports stated that both the Turkish and Russian governments want to unlock the phone to get leads on why the young police officer took the life of a foreign diplomat and ended losing his as well. The report also said that Russia is sending a special technical team to Turkey to try to crack the phone's Pincode.

Most reports say that Apple has already been contacted for help but seems unlikely to lend a hand. However, 9to5Mac later posted an update on its original story saying that the authorities have not actually asked Apple to unlock the iPhone in question.

This case is reminiscent of Apple's refusal to help crack the phone used by one of the killers in the 2015 San Bernardino shooting wherein 14 people were killed and 22 seriously injured. The FBI and NSA were initially unable to unlock the killer's iPhone 5C and asked Apple to help out. The company refused, however, citing its security policy.

The Turkish shooter was a 22-year old off-duty police officer by the name of Mevlut Mert Altintas while the victim of his atrocious act was Andrei Karlov, the Russian envoy to Turkey. Both people were at an art gallery in Ankara. Karlov was giving a speech when Altintas, who got into the event using his police ID and by pretending to be the envoy's bodyguard, pulled out his gun and shot him from behind.

Videos later surfaced showing the shooting as it unraveled.