FBI says it's not sure it can help in Arkansas murder case

In this jail photo provided by Conway Ark., Police Department, suspect Hunter Drexler stands by a door Friday, Aug. 7, 2015, in Conway.
In this jail photo provided by Conway Ark., Police Department, suspect Hunter Drexler stands by a door Friday, Aug. 7, 2015, in Conway.

LITTLE ROCK — The FBI is backing away from an Arkansas prosecutor's statement that its agents would help unlock an iPhone and iPod belonging to two teenagers accused of killing a couple, saying it hasn't examined the devices and isn't sure whether it can help.

The FBI's statement Thursday didn't rule out help in the Arkansas case but said that without more details, it doesn't know whether its agents can access the devices.

It was not immediately clear whether breaking into the devices would require the same technique the FBI used to access an iPhone linked to a gunman in December's mass shootings in San Bernardino, Calif. The FBI hasn't revealed its method.

State and local authorities across the U.S. have indicated they want the FBI's help unlocking iPhones in pending criminal investigations.

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