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Man behind anti-Islam film reportedly is Egyptian-born ex-con
Updated 4:05 p.m. ET:
Federal authorities have concluded that a 55-year-old Egypt-born Coptic Christian man living in the Los Angeles area was the key figure behind the anti-Islam film "Innocence of Muslims," blamed for sparking riots and protests in the Middle East, the Associated Press reported Thursday, quoting an unidentified U.S. law enforcement official.
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, who the AP said is on probation after being convicted of financial crimes, also was twice sentenced to jail after being found guilty of intent to manufacture methamphetamine in the late 1990s, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office told NBC News.
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Man behind anti-Islam film reportedly is Egyptian-born ex-con
By NBC News staff and wire reports
Updated 4:05 p.m. ET:
Federal authorities have concluded that a 55-year-old Egypt-born Coptic Christian man living in the Los Angeles area was the key figure behind the anti-Islam film "Innocence of Muslims," blamed for sparking riots and protests in the Middle East, the Associated Press reported Thursday, quoting an unidentified U.S. law enforcement official.
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, who the AP said is on probation after being convicted of financial crimes, also was twice sentenced to jail after being found guilty of intent to manufacture methamphetamine in the late 1990s, the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office told NBC News.
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Court records show that Nakoula also was convicted on federal fraud charges in Los Angeles in 2010. As part of the conditions of his probation, Nakoula was barred from using "any online service at any location" without the prior approval of his probation officer, according to a copy of court records in the case.
Federal law enforcement officials are investigating whether Nakoula violated his probation on federal fraud charges in his efforts to promote the movie, an official has confirmed to NBC News.
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The AP quoted the law enforcement official as saying that federal authorities had concluded that Nakoula was behind the film. The news service said it was not immediately clear whether Nakoula was the target of a criminal investigation or part of the broader investigation into the deaths of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans in Libya during a terrorist attack.
Attorney General Eric Holder confirmed Thursday that Justice Department officials were investigating the deaths, which occurred during an attack on the American mission in Benghazi.
The crude and provocative anti-Islam video blamed in part for sparking protests against U.S. diplomatic missions — was promoted by another Egyptian-born Coptic Christian named Morris Sadek on his website.
Copts make up a minority in Egypt where they have been victims of discrimination and sometimes attacks by Islamic extremists.
A trailer for the amateurish film, posted on YouTube in July and later reposted after being translated into Arabic, portrays Muhammad, believed by Muslims to be God’s prophet, variously as a womanizer, a homosexual and a child abuser. A man who said his name was "Sam Bacile" claimed to have made the film in an interview on Tuesday.
The translated clip, shown repeatedly on Egyptian television stations in recent weeks, sparked protests across the Middle East and North Africa and was blamed for inciting an attack in Libya on Tuesday that killed the U.S. Ambassador, Chris Stevens, and three other Americans.
U.S. officials are also investigating the possibility that the deadly Libya attack was planned in advance to coincide with the anniversary of the 9-11 attacks on the United States by Islamist terrorists.
Related content:
Obama: Egypt not an ally of US, but not an enemy
Timeline: Political fallout from the attack on diplomats in Libya
The attack on the Libyan consulate, as it happened
Why films and cartoons of Muhammad spark violence
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NBC's Kerry Sanders talks about the controversial pastor's history of provocative acts against Islam and how he may be tied to an inflammatory film that has sparked uproar within the global Muslim community.
The Quran forbids any depiction of Muhammad, and most Muslims regard any attempt to insult him as highly offensive. A Danish newspaper's 2005 publication of 12 caricatures of the prophet triggered riots in many Muslim countries.
The mysterious origins of the film have been the subject of intense reporting.
The AP late reported Tuesday that it had interviewed the film's director, identifying him as "Sam Bacile." It said he was a 56-year-old Israeli American real estate developer from California who had made the movie by raising $5 million from wealthy Jewish donors. However, it gradually became apparent that Sam Bacile was an alias and that the film, tied to U.S.-based Christians with extreme anti-Islamic views, was produced on a low budget in southern California using actors apparently unaware of the film’s ultimate purpose.
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