Search warrant materials used in Clinton email probe unsealed

NEW YORK, Dec 20 (Reuters) - A U.S. court on Tuesday released a copy of the application used to obtain a search warrant that allowed the FBI to gain access to emails related to a probe of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's private server before the Nov. 8 election.

The filings involving a search warrant issued after Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey informed Congress of newly discovered emails on Oct. 28 were released following an order on Monday by U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel in Manhattan.

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Comey's letter drew new attention to the use of the server by Clinton while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 and roiled the campaign 11 days before the election, which Republican Donald Trump won.

According to the newly released court papers, the FBI sought a search warrant two days after Comey's letter on Oct. 30 to review "thousands" of emails on a Toshiba laptop. Those emails, Comey said in his letter, were found in an "unrelated case."

Sources close to the investigation have said the emails were discovered during an unrelated probe into former Democratic U.S. Representative Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of top Clinton aide Huma Abedin.

In an affidavit, an unnamed FBI agent said there was "probable cause" to believe that correspondence between Clinton and an unnamed individual whose name was redacted was located on the laptop, including emails with classified information.

While the affidavit provided no indication that any emails from Clinton or with classified information were actually found on the laptop when the search warrant was sought, it said emails to State Department accounts had been located. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)