9/27/2012

Anti-Muslim film producer ordered jailed in probation case

A judge will decide whether or not Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, the producer behind the 'Innocence of Muslims' film, violated the terms of his 2010 conviction on bank fraud charges. NBC's Savannah Guthrie reports.

By NBC News staff and NBCLosAngeles.com

Updated at 9:30 p.m. ET: LOS ANGELES -- Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, the Southern California man who many believe to be behind an anti-Muslim video that has inflamed the Islamic world, was arrested Thursday afternoon, the U.S. Attorney's office in Los Angeles told NBC Los Angeles.

At an afternoon court hearing, the judge ordered Nakoula to remain in custody for violating the terms of his probation, NBC News reported.

Federal prosecutors argued that Nakoula posed a flight risk, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Court records show that Nakoula was convicted on federal fraud charges in Los Angeles in 2010. Among 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.


MORE: Film Will Stay Up, Judge Says | Actors Plan to Sue Filmmaker | Coptic Leaders Denounce Film

A 14-minute trailer for the film "Innocence of Muslims" was posted on YouTube in July, leading to protests around the Middle East. The trailer depicts Muhammad as a womanizer, religious fraud and child molester.

Violence broke out Sept. 11 and has spread since, killing dozens, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens in Benghazi, Libya. Nakoula, a Christian originally from Egypt, went into hiding after he was identified as the man behind the trailer, the Associated Press reported.

Earlier this month, federal law enforcement officials opened an investigation into whether Nakoula violated his probation on those fraud charges in his efforts to promote the movie, an official told NBC News.

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The official emphasized that the probe of Nakoula relates only to whether he violated his probation order — not into the content of the inflammatory movie. "This is not an investigation of the film," the official said, or in any way intended to infringe on his "First Amendment rights."

A self-described Coptic Christian who was born in Egypt, Nakoula is said to go by the pseudonym Sam Bassiel. That moniker that caused widespread confusion when the film was first released earlier this month when someone associated with the film said that the producer was an Israeli Jew with that name.

Suspected anti-Islam filmmaker questioned 

Others have disputed that the video was the cause of the violence in Libya. On Wednesday, Libyan President Mohammed Magarief told NBC News' Ann Curry that the attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Libya there were carefully planned terrorist events, not the actions of a mob angry about the video.

In an interview with NBC's Ann Curry, Libya's president Mohammed Magarief said there's 'no doubt' the attack that killed four Americans in Libya was preplanned, and not a result of the controversial anti-Islam movie that sparked violent protests.

NBC Los Angeles, NBC News' Olivia Santini and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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