Justice Department Asks to Drop Order in iPhone Terror Case

The government has asked to drop the court order that it wanted to use to compel Apple to help unlock an iPhone used by San Bernardino attacker Syed Farook. The government has been seeking Apple's assistance in bypassing security features on the phone, on which the contents are encrypted. Lawyers for the Department of Justice asked for a delay in a court hearing last week, after saying that an unnamed third party had come forward with a possible way to crack the phone without Apple's help. The iPhone 5C used by Farook has not yet actually been unlocked, a senior government official told NBC News on Monday, but the FBI believes the newly discovered method will be successful.