[h=3]By EVAN PEREZ[/h]Federal authorities in Los Angeles on Thursday arrested a man they believe was behind a video clip insulting to Muslims, alleging he violated terms of his probation on an earlier federal charge.
REUTERSNakoula Basseley Nakoula was arrested Thursday.
The alleged filmmaker, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, was to be arraigned Thursday afternoon in a Los Angeles federal courtroom.
The U.S. Probation Office filed a request to revoke Mr. Nakoula's supervised release, alleging he violated terms he agreed to following his bank fraud conviction in 2010, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles said.
Under his probation agreement, Mr. Nakoula was prohibited from using computers and the Internet without supervision.
His attorney, Steven Seiden, wasn't available to comment Thursday afternoon, since he was at the arraignment.
Law-enforcement officials believe Mr. Nakoula is the same man who identified himself as Sam Bacile, and who claimed in news interviews, including with The Wall Street Journal, that he directed a video called "Innocence of Muslims." A 14-minute clip posted to Google Inc.'s YouTube by someone calling himself Sam Bacile in July, which purported to be a trailer for a film about the Prophet Muhammad, has sparked deadly protests in the Middle East.
[h=3]Related Video[/h]
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sharpened her criticism of an anti-Islam video Thursday, Sept. 13 that provoked protests in the Arab world, calling the film "disgusting and reprehensible." (Video: AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar share their sentiment in the condemning of the anti- Islam film, "Innocence of Muslims." (Video: AP)
Law enforcement officials alleged Mr. Nakoula used credit cards in the names of other people, and opened a bank account using yet another name, according to court documents from the fraud case. He then deposited fraudulent checks into the account and withdrew money from the account, federal authorities alleged in the documents.
Mr. Nakoula was initially charged with three counts of fraud. He agreed to plead guilty to one bank-fraud charge, according to court records and prosecutors.
Mr. Nakoula served 21 months in prison and was released on June 22, 2011, prison records show. He was ordered to pay over $794,000 restitution in the case. It was unclear if he made those payments.
Probation officials are also authorized to inspect and monitor Mr. Nakoula's use of computers or the Internet during the course of his supervised release, according to the court documents.
Mr. Nakoula, a Christian originally from Egypt, went into hiding after he was identified as the man behind the trailer.
The movie has its roots with a Southern California group of Egyptian Christians associated with extremist critics of Islam. The film's assistant director, Jeffrey Robinson, said its production budget was just $250,000.
Media for Christ, a nonprofit religious organization in the city of Duarte, about 20 miles northeast of Los Angeles, took out a permit to film the movie that came to be called "Innocence of Muslims" according to Film LA Inc., which coordinates permits.
Media for Christ produces Christian television programming and broadcasts it abroad in Arabic and English, some of it highly critical of Islam.
At the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, President Barack Obama defended his handling of the uprisings that have swept the Middle East in his first detailed response to the violence and protests that erupted in the Middle East and North Africa after circulation of the video.
The speech also was an opportunity for world leaders to hear the U.S. leader's current assessment of democracy in Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, Libya and other countries once under autocratic rule, but now run by new leaders grappling to control long-repressed and often rebellious populationsthe region.
Write to Evan Perez at [email protected]
REUTERSNakoula Basseley Nakoula was arrested Thursday.
The alleged filmmaker, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, was to be arraigned Thursday afternoon in a Los Angeles federal courtroom.
The U.S. Probation Office filed a request to revoke Mr. Nakoula's supervised release, alleging he violated terms he agreed to following his bank fraud conviction in 2010, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles said.
Under his probation agreement, Mr. Nakoula was prohibited from using computers and the Internet without supervision.
His attorney, Steven Seiden, wasn't available to comment Thursday afternoon, since he was at the arraignment.
Law-enforcement officials believe Mr. Nakoula is the same man who identified himself as Sam Bacile, and who claimed in news interviews, including with The Wall Street Journal, that he directed a video called "Innocence of Muslims." A 14-minute clip posted to Google Inc.'s YouTube by someone calling himself Sam Bacile in July, which purported to be a trailer for a film about the Prophet Muhammad, has sparked deadly protests in the Middle East.
[h=3]Related Video[/h]
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sharpened her criticism of an anti-Islam video Thursday, Sept. 13 that provoked protests in the Arab world, calling the film "disgusting and reprehensible." (Video: AP)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar share their sentiment in the condemning of the anti- Islam film, "Innocence of Muslims." (Video: AP)
Law enforcement officials alleged Mr. Nakoula used credit cards in the names of other people, and opened a bank account using yet another name, according to court documents from the fraud case. He then deposited fraudulent checks into the account and withdrew money from the account, federal authorities alleged in the documents.
Mr. Nakoula was initially charged with three counts of fraud. He agreed to plead guilty to one bank-fraud charge, according to court records and prosecutors.
Mr. Nakoula served 21 months in prison and was released on June 22, 2011, prison records show. He was ordered to pay over $794,000 restitution in the case. It was unclear if he made those payments.
Probation officials are also authorized to inspect and monitor Mr. Nakoula's use of computers or the Internet during the course of his supervised release, according to the court documents.
Mr. Nakoula, a Christian originally from Egypt, went into hiding after he was identified as the man behind the trailer.
The movie has its roots with a Southern California group of Egyptian Christians associated with extremist critics of Islam. The film's assistant director, Jeffrey Robinson, said its production budget was just $250,000.
Media for Christ, a nonprofit religious organization in the city of Duarte, about 20 miles northeast of Los Angeles, took out a permit to film the movie that came to be called "Innocence of Muslims" according to Film LA Inc., which coordinates permits.
Media for Christ produces Christian television programming and broadcasts it abroad in Arabic and English, some of it highly critical of Islam.
At the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, President Barack Obama defended his handling of the uprisings that have swept the Middle East in his first detailed response to the violence and protests that erupted in the Middle East and North Africa after circulation of the video.
The speech also was an opportunity for world leaders to hear the U.S. leader's current assessment of democracy in Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, Libya and other countries once under autocratic rule, but now run by new leaders grappling to control long-repressed and often rebellious populationsthe region.
Write to Evan Perez at [email protected]