Egyptian-American Arrested over Anti-Islam Film in California
An Egyptian-American man behind an anti-Islam film that has stoked massive protests across the Muslim world was arrested in California.
He was arrested for allegedly violating his probation and a federal judge ordered him jailed without bond.
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, was taken into custody at an undisclosed location by U.S. marshals.
He was brought to court in Los Angeles still wearing his street clothes but handcuffed and shackled at the waist.
Nakoula has been under investigation by probation officials looking into whether, while making the film, he violated the terms of his 2011 release from prison on a bank fraud conviction.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Suzanne Segal said in refusing Nakoula's request for bail at a hearing in U.S. District Court: "The court has a lack of trust in the defendant at this time."
His crudely made 13-minute video was filmed in California and circulated online under several titles including Innocence of Muslims.
The clip sparked a torrent of anti-American unrest in Egypt, Libya and dozens of other Muslim countries over the past two weeks.
Nakoula, under the terms of his release from jail, has been barred from accessing the Internet or using aliases without the permission of a probation officer, court records show. He now faces eight probation violation accusations.
In denying his request for bail, the judge called him a flight risk and said the Coptic Christian filmmaker who most recently lived in the Los Angeles suburb of Cerritos had "engaged in a lengthy pattern of
deception", including using several aliases.
Nakoula has stayed out of the public eye for much of the past two weeks, amid outrage over the film.
By Sadroddin Musawi
Other links:
Analyst: Anti-Islam Film, Zionist False-Flag Operation
Analyst: Prophet Muhammad, Muslims’ Red Line
Iran’s Leader: Enemies’ Chagrin behind blasphemous movie
Protests Held in Tehran to Condemn Insulting Cartoons
