Screenshots from youtube video by Sam Bacile
The suspected director of the now-notorious anti-Muslim video that sparked violent protests worldwide is now under investigation on whether or not he had violated his probation by using an alias to publish the movie.
The 55-year-old Los Angeles man, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, claims that he was not the author of the “The Innocence of Muslims,” but only helped in managing and providing logistics for its production.
However, an anonymous law enforcement official confirmed to the AP on Thursday that Nakoula, who is currently on probation after serving prison time on financial crimes charges, was in fact behind the production of the film to an extent much larger than he was letting on.
Simply producing the film is not considered a crime under US law, but the terms of Nakoula’s release contain a clause barring him from accessing the Internet or using aliases without a probation officer's approval.
Currently, California's probation office is looking into Nakoula’s involvement in producing the film for violations of the terms of his release, Reuters reported citing a person familiar with the case.
“The US probation office in the central district of California is reviewing the case,” said Karen Redmond, a spokeswoman for the administrative office of the US Courts in Washington, DC.
In 2010, Nakoula pled guilty to bank fraud and was sentenced to 21 months in prison and five years of supervised probation. He was accused of opening credit accounts and using fake IDs and Social Security numbers.
In a bid to for leniency he cited health problems, including Hepatitis C and diabetes requiring insulin shots. His lawyer also argued that Nakoula had a bedridden father and young children who needed care.
Nevertheless, Nakoula served a year in prison and was released in June 2011.
Director had prior film experience – in porn
Some of the actors claim every single one of the video's insults to Islam were dubbed in after shooting by the film's producers. Several bloggers even claim that a full movie might not even exist at all.
Meanwhile it has emerged that the film was directed by a 65-year-old Alan Roberts, a director of several low-budget movies, including several soft-core pornographic films. His portfolio includes such titles "The Sexpert" and "The Happy Hooker Goes to Hollywood."
Roberts’ name is listed as director on the film's casting sheets from the summer of 2011, when it was known as "Desert Warriors." But his real name is Robert Brownell, according to a business partner who spoke to Gawker. Brownell is mentioned on several paychecks for some pre-production services for the film.
“I am sure it was the same Alan Roberts, as I remember him speaking about this project,” filmmaker David A. Prior told Gawker.
After the protests broke out, Roberts “turned off his phone” and went into hiding, his business associate said. He also suggested that Roberts was among the rest of the crew duped by the producer, because he was a "non-political"person and never showed any strong anti-Islamic feelings.
The film's cast and crew confirmed that Roberts was invited by the film’s producer, who called himself “Sam Bacile,” to direct the shoot. They maintain however that the whole team was tricked into believing they were shooting a movie set in ancient Egypt thousands of years before Muhammad lived.
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