Tim Cook has called for the American government to reform the ways in which it deals with issues of privacy and national security, adding that Apple had “no tolerance or sympathy for terrorists”.

In a letter to Apple staff seen by the Telegraph, the chief executive called for the formation of a commission of experts in the fields of technology, intelligence and civil liberties to discuss the implications for law enforcement, national security, privacy and personal freedoms in what he said the company felt would be the best way forward.

“This case is about much more than a single phone or a single investigation, so when we received the government’s order we knew we had to speak out,” he wrote. “At stake is the data security of hundreds of millions of law-abiding people, and setting a dangerous precedent that threatens everyone’s civil liberties.”