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US names man behind fanatical anti-Muslim film
Source: Agencies |
September 14, 2012, Friday
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A UNITED States law enforcement official says a man named Nakoula Basseley Nakoula is behind the anti-Muslim film being blamed for mob attacks on US missions in Egypt, Libya and Yemen.
A man who calls himself Sam Bacile has said he created the film, but The Associated Press on Wednesday connected Nakoula to the Bacile persona.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity.
In an interview, Nakoula says he managed logistics for the company that produced the film, which mocked Muslims and Prophet Muhammad. He denies that he was Bacile.
The movie is implicated in inflaming mobs that attacked US compounds in Egypt, Libya and Yemen. The US ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were killed.
The self-proclaimed director of "Innocence of Muslims" initially claimed a Jewish and Israeli background. But others involved in the film said his statements were contrived as evidence mounted that the film's key player was a southern Californian Coptic Christian with a checkered past.
Nakoula, 55, denied he had posed as Bacile. Federal court papers filed in a 2010 criminal prosecution against him said Nakoula had used numerous aliases in the past.
The YouTube account under the username "Sam Bacile," which was used to publish excerpts of the provocative movie in July, was used to post comments online as recently as Tuesday, including this defense of the film written in Arabic: "It is a 100 percent American movie, you cows."
Nakoula, who talked guardedly about his role, pleaded no contest in 2010 to federal bank fraud charges in California and was ordered to pay more than US$790,000 in restitution.
American actors and actresses who appeared in "Innocence of Muslims" issued a joint statement on Wednesday saying they were misled about the project and alleged that some of their dialogue was crudely dubbed during post-production.
"The entire cast and crew are extremely upset and feel taken advantage of by the producer," said the statement, obtained by the Los Angeles Times. "We are 100 percent not behind this film and were grossly misled about its intent and purpose."
The person who identified himself as Bacile and described himself as the film's writer and director said on Tuesday that he had gone into hiding.
But doubts rose about the man's identity amid a flurry of false claims about his background and role in the purported film.
Bacile said he was an Israeli-born, 56-year-old Jewish writer and director. But a Christian activist involved in the film project, Steve Klein, said on Wednesday that Bacile was a pseudonym and that he was Christian.
A man who calls himself Sam Bacile has said he created the film, but The Associated Press on Wednesday connected Nakoula to the Bacile persona.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity.
In an interview, Nakoula says he managed logistics for the company that produced the film, which mocked Muslims and Prophet Muhammad. He denies that he was Bacile.
The movie is implicated in inflaming mobs that attacked US compounds in Egypt, Libya and Yemen. The US ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were killed.
The self-proclaimed director of "Innocence of Muslims" initially claimed a Jewish and Israeli background. But others involved in the film said his statements were contrived as evidence mounted that the film's key player was a southern Californian Coptic Christian with a checkered past.
Nakoula, 55, denied he had posed as Bacile. Federal court papers filed in a 2010 criminal prosecution against him said Nakoula had used numerous aliases in the past.
The YouTube account under the username "Sam Bacile," which was used to publish excerpts of the provocative movie in July, was used to post comments online as recently as Tuesday, including this defense of the film written in Arabic: "It is a 100 percent American movie, you cows."
Nakoula, who talked guardedly about his role, pleaded no contest in 2010 to federal bank fraud charges in California and was ordered to pay more than US$790,000 in restitution.
American actors and actresses who appeared in "Innocence of Muslims" issued a joint statement on Wednesday saying they were misled about the project and alleged that some of their dialogue was crudely dubbed during post-production.
"The entire cast and crew are extremely upset and feel taken advantage of by the producer," said the statement, obtained by the Los Angeles Times. "We are 100 percent not behind this film and were grossly misled about its intent and purpose."
The person who identified himself as Bacile and described himself as the film's writer and director said on Tuesday that he had gone into hiding.
But doubts rose about the man's identity amid a flurry of false claims about his background and role in the purported film.
Bacile said he was an Israeli-born, 56-year-old Jewish writer and director. But a Christian activist involved in the film project, Steve Klein, said on Wednesday that Bacile was a pseudonym and that he was Christian.
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