Kelly Jackson: BLM protester accused of firebombing cop cars was arrested after Apple handed over his user data to FBI
Apple has reportedly granted the FBI access to iCloud information of a Seattle rioter who allegedly set fire to at least two police patrol vehicles during a demonstration in May. Protests against racial injustice and police brutality erupted across the US and the globe following the May 25 death of George Floyd, who was kneed by a Minneapolis police officer for almost eight minutes despite repeated pleas that he couldn't breathe. A masked 'protester' at one of these demonstrations in Seattle was found to have set at least two patrol cars ablaze, per the FBI, who were later tipped off about the identity of the suspect. Last week, authorities arrested Kelly Jackson for allegedly setting fire to at least two police patrol cars on May 30, per a search warrant obtained by Forbes magazine.
FBI agents scoured through surveillance feeds, social media photos, as well as news footage as they looked into the tip. They eventually obtained the suspect's phone records from Verizon and found that he was using an iPhone 7. When the FBI requested help from Apple to access Jackson's iCloud information, it obliged - which is remarkable considering the tech giant found itself in hot water after last year after allegedly refusing the Trump administration gain access to the physical iPhones of a Saudi national who shot dead three people at a naval base in Pensacola.
With Apple's help, the FBI was able to obtain potential evidence in the form of screenshots that were found in Jackson's photo library. One of the screenshots reportedly showed an Instagram post promoting the protest, which was called the 'The Defiant Walk of Resistance Against Injustice.' Another screenshot showed how to make a Molotov cocktail. One video reportedly showed a white male's hands opening a black bag that contained a green glass bottle with a gold cap, filled with an unidentified liquid, while another showed a similar bottle being hurled into the door of a cop car, thereby setting it ablaze. Jackson has since been charged with arson and unlawful possession of a destructive device.
Violent protests have rocked many parts of the nation ever since Floyd's Memorial Day death.
Earlier this month, we reported how a Wisconsin rioter cried in 'fetal position' after getting caught with explosives ahead of a protest. Matthew Banta, 23, is "a violent Antifa member who incites violence in otherwise relatively peaceful protests," WBAY reported citing a criminal complaint. Green Bay police shared that Banta was known as 'Commander Red' and recalled how they responded to reports of "a whole bunch of White people with sticks, baseball bats and helmets headed... towards the police" on Walnut Street near Webster Ave. According to a responding officer, he witnessed four individuals walking towards a protest carrying baseball bats.
One of the men was carrying an Antifa flag and wearing a metal helmet with goggles and military-style gear. The officer pulled his car up to the group who then fled the scene. The officer was able to catch Banta, who was carrying the flag. Later, he recalled how Banta "dropped into the fetal position and began crying" upon his arrest and tried to accuse the officer of lying on him, which reportedly didn't happen. Banta later admitted that he was heading to the Green Bay protest but denied that he planned to incite a riot.