Los Angeles — A federal judge on Thursday determined a California man behind a crudely produced anti-Islamic video that inflamed parts of the Middle East is a flight risk and ordered him detained.
Citing a lengthy pattern of deception, U.S. Central District Chief Magistrate Judge Suzanne Segal said Nakoula Basseley Nakoula should be held after officials said he violated his probation from a 2010 check fraud conviction.
"The court has a lack of trust in this defendant at this time," Segal said.
Nakoula, 55, was arrested Thursday. He had eight probation violations, including lying to his probation officers and using aliases, and he might face new charges that carry a maximum two-year prison term, authorities said. Nakoula will remain behind bars until another hearing where a judge will rule if he broke the terms of his probation.
Nakoula wore beige pants and a collared shirt when he was led into the courtroom handcuffed and shackled.
Citing a lengthy pattern of deception, U.S. Central District Chief Magistrate Judge Suzanne Segal said Nakoula Basseley Nakoula should be held after officials said he violated his probation from a 2010 check fraud conviction.
"The court has a lack of trust in this defendant at this time," Segal said.
Nakoula, 55, was arrested Thursday. He had eight probation violations, including lying to his probation officers and using aliases, and he might face new charges that carry a maximum two-year prison term, authorities said. Nakoula will remain behind bars until another hearing where a judge will rule if he broke the terms of his probation.
Nakoula wore beige pants and a collared shirt when he was led into the courtroom handcuffed and shackled.
- 9/28/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Cindy Lee Garcia is suing the video's maker as well as Google, claiming she was duped into working on Innocence of Muslims
An actor who starred in the anti-Islamic video which triggered mayhem in the Muslim world will on Thursday seek a court order compelling YouTube to remove the video.
Cindy Lee Garcia, who appeared as a lover of the prophet Muhammad in the online trailer, is suing the video's maker as well as Google, which owns YouTube, claiming she was duped into working on the film and that her life has been threatened.
Garcia's lawyers filed a complaint alleging fraud, slander and intentional infliction of emotional distress at Los Angeles superior court on Wednesday and are due on Thursday to seek an injunction against the film.
"The film is vile and reprehensible,'' Garcia's lawyer, M. Cris Armenta, wrote in the document. "This lawsuit is not an attack on...
An actor who starred in the anti-Islamic video which triggered mayhem in the Muslim world will on Thursday seek a court order compelling YouTube to remove the video.
Cindy Lee Garcia, who appeared as a lover of the prophet Muhammad in the online trailer, is suing the video's maker as well as Google, which owns YouTube, claiming she was duped into working on the film and that her life has been threatened.
Garcia's lawyers filed a complaint alleging fraud, slander and intentional infliction of emotional distress at Los Angeles superior court on Wednesday and are due on Thursday to seek an injunction against the film.
"The film is vile and reprehensible,'' Garcia's lawyer, M. Cris Armenta, wrote in the document. "This lawsuit is not an attack on...
- 9/20/2012
- by Rory Carroll
- The Guardian - Film News
Set aside for a moment all of the controversy. Do me the favor of reading the actual words of the statement released by our Egyptian Embassy six hours before it was attacked by radicals, and before a similar attack in Libya that took four innocent lives. Here it is:
"The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims -- as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. Today, the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, Americans are honoring our patriots and those who serve our nation as the fitting response to the enemies of democracy. Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others."
What exactly, is wrong with those words?...
"The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims -- as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. Today, the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, Americans are honoring our patriots and those who serve our nation as the fitting response to the enemies of democracy. Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others."
What exactly, is wrong with those words?...
- 9/16/2012
- by Roger Ebert
- blogs.suntimes.com/ebert
Lady GaGa arrived for the launch of her debut fragrance 'Fame' perched on the back of a vintage black cadillac at New York's Guggenheim Museum last night (September 13). The 26-year-old singer then slipped into a bizarre floral Klu Klux Klan-style hooded robe, which covered her face and body completely, before being guided into the venue by photographer Steve Klein. Klein directed the comercial for GaGa's black fragrance which was produced by Ridley Associates and posted on the official Haus Laboratories YouTube channel. Speaking about the scent ahead of its release, the star had claimed it would smell of "blood and semen", adding: "I wanted it (more)...
- 9/14/2012
- by By Naomi Gordon
- Digital Spy
A group of rightwing extremists aimed to destabilize post-Mubarak Egypt and roil Us politicians. They got their wish
Did an inflammatory anti-Muslim film trailer that appeared spontaneously on YouTube prompt the attack that left four Us diplomats dead, including Us ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens? American officials have suggested that the assault was pre-planned, allegedly by of one of the Jihadist groups that emerged since the Nato-led overthrow of Libya's Gaddafi regime. So even though the deadly scene in Benghazi may not have resulted directly from the angry reaction to the Islamophobic video, the violence has helped realize the apocalyptic visions of the film's backers.
Produced and promoted by a strange collection of rightwing Christian evangelicals and exiled Egyptian Copts, the trailer was created with the intention of both destabilizing post-Mubarak Egypt and roiling the Us presidential election. As a consultant for the film named Steve Klein said: "We went...
Did an inflammatory anti-Muslim film trailer that appeared spontaneously on YouTube prompt the attack that left four Us diplomats dead, including Us ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens? American officials have suggested that the assault was pre-planned, allegedly by of one of the Jihadist groups that emerged since the Nato-led overthrow of Libya's Gaddafi regime. So even though the deadly scene in Benghazi may not have resulted directly from the angry reaction to the Islamophobic video, the violence has helped realize the apocalyptic visions of the film's backers.
Produced and promoted by a strange collection of rightwing Christian evangelicals and exiled Egyptian Copts, the trailer was created with the intention of both destabilizing post-Mubarak Egypt and roiling the Us presidential election. As a consultant for the film named Steve Klein said: "We went...
- 9/14/2012
- by Max Blumenthal
- The Guardian - Film News
Hemet, Calif. — The public face for the anti-Muslim film inflaming the Middle East is not the filmmaker, but an insurance agent and Vietnam War veteran whose unabashed and outspoken hatred of radical Muslims has drawn the attention of civil libertarians, who say he's a hate monger.
With the Coptic Christian filmmaker Nakoula Basseley Nakoula in hiding, film promoter Steve Klein has taken center stage in the unfolding international drama. He's given a stream of interviews about the film and the man he says he knew only as Sam Bacile, and is using the attention to talk about his own political views.
Nakoula, who used Bacile spelled multiple ways as a pseudonym, contacted Klein months ago for advice about the limits of American free speech and asked for help vetting the movie's script, Klein said in an interview with The Associated Press. The filmmaker asked the 61-year-old grandfather if he would...
With the Coptic Christian filmmaker Nakoula Basseley Nakoula in hiding, film promoter Steve Klein has taken center stage in the unfolding international drama. He's given a stream of interviews about the film and the man he says he knew only as Sam Bacile, and is using the attention to talk about his own political views.
Nakoula, who used Bacile spelled multiple ways as a pseudonym, contacted Klein months ago for advice about the limits of American free speech and asked for help vetting the movie's script, Klein said in an interview with The Associated Press. The filmmaker asked the 61-year-old grandfather if he would...
- 9/14/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
"The Innocence of Muslims," the film that is believed to have instigated deadly riots in Egypt and Libya, was made by two Southern California Christians with dark records. Now the Southland is on alert to guard against any potential backlash.
The filmmaker, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, made the movie under the guise of Sam Bacile and said he was an Israeli Jewish real estate developer. In reality, he is an Egyptian Coptic Christian who has gone by at least six other false names and has served time for creating fake bank accounts with stolen Social Security numbers, the Associated Press reports.
Police were sent to Nakoula's home in Cerritos, Calif. Thursday to protect him, his wife and his two children, the Los Angeles Times reports. There were two vehicles parked in the middle of the street in front of the house Thursday, including one with bags of groceries in the back.
The filmmaker, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, made the movie under the guise of Sam Bacile and said he was an Israeli Jewish real estate developer. In reality, he is an Egyptian Coptic Christian who has gone by at least six other false names and has served time for creating fake bank accounts with stolen Social Security numbers, the Associated Press reports.
Police were sent to Nakoula's home in Cerritos, Calif. Thursday to protect him, his wife and his two children, the Los Angeles Times reports. There were two vehicles parked in the middle of the street in front of the house Thursday, including one with bags of groceries in the back.
- 9/13/2012
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
Los Angeles -- The search for those behind the provocative, anti-Muslim film implicated in violent protests in Egypt and Libya led Wednesday to a California Coptic Christian convicted of financial crimes who acknowledged his role in managing and providing logistics for the production.
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, told The Associated Press in an interview outside Los Angeles that he helped with logistics for the filming of "Innocence of Muslims," which mocked Muslims and the prophet Muhammad and may have caused inflamed mobs that attacked U.S. missions in Egypt and Libya. He provided the first details about a shadowy production group behind the film.
Nakoula denied he directed the film and said he knew the self-described filmmaker, Sam Bacile. But the cell phone number that AP contacted Tuesday to reach the filmmaker who identified himself as Sam Bacile traced to the same address near Los Angeles where AP found Nakoula. Federal...
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, told The Associated Press in an interview outside Los Angeles that he helped with logistics for the filming of "Innocence of Muslims," which mocked Muslims and the prophet Muhammad and may have caused inflamed mobs that attacked U.S. missions in Egypt and Libya. He provided the first details about a shadowy production group behind the film.
Nakoula denied he directed the film and said he knew the self-described filmmaker, Sam Bacile. But the cell phone number that AP contacted Tuesday to reach the filmmaker who identified himself as Sam Bacile traced to the same address near Los Angeles where AP found Nakoula. Federal...
- 9/13/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula claims role in the Innocence of Muslims saying it was intended as a provocative statement
The hunt for the maker of the anti-Islamic video that inflamed mayhem in Egypt and Libya and triggered a diplomatic crisis has led to a Californian Coptic Christian convicted of financial crimes.
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, who lives outside Los Angeles, confirmed on Wednesday he managed and provided logistics for The Innocence of Muslims.
Nakoula, who pleaded no contest to federal bank fraud charges in 2010, told AP in a brief interview outside his home that he considered Islam a cancer and that the film was intended to be a provocative political statement assailing the religion.
He denied being Sam Bacile, the pseudonym for the video's purportedly Israeli Jewish writer and director, but AP said the cellphone number it called for a telephone interview with Bacile on Tuesday matched Nakoula's address.
His outing solidified...
The hunt for the maker of the anti-Islamic video that inflamed mayhem in Egypt and Libya and triggered a diplomatic crisis has led to a Californian Coptic Christian convicted of financial crimes.
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, who lives outside Los Angeles, confirmed on Wednesday he managed and provided logistics for The Innocence of Muslims.
Nakoula, who pleaded no contest to federal bank fraud charges in 2010, told AP in a brief interview outside his home that he considered Islam a cancer and that the film was intended to be a provocative political statement assailing the religion.
He denied being Sam Bacile, the pseudonym for the video's purportedly Israeli Jewish writer and director, but AP said the cellphone number it called for a telephone interview with Bacile on Tuesday matched Nakoula's address.
His outing solidified...
- 9/13/2012
- by Rory Carroll
- The Guardian - Film News
Cast say they were misled as evidence suggests film was post- dubbed and questions arise over funding and identity of director
The anti-Islamic video that inflamed mayhem in Egypt and Libya and triggered a diplomatic crisis is at the centre of a growing mystery over whether it is a real film – or was ever intended to be.
Initial reports about The Innocence of Muslims being a $5m production made by an Israeli-American director named Sam Bacile unravelled on Wednesday as ruins of the Us consulate in Benghazi continued to smoulder.
Bacile – originally described as a California-based Jewish real estate developer – appeared to be a fake identity, and Hollywood could find no trace of his supposed feature-length attack on the prophet Muhammad. The blasphemous, 13-minute "trailer" posted online – a ramshackle compilation of scenes which depicted Muhammad as an illegitimate, murderous paedophile – was real, but there was growing doubt that a film existed.
The anti-Islamic video that inflamed mayhem in Egypt and Libya and triggered a diplomatic crisis is at the centre of a growing mystery over whether it is a real film – or was ever intended to be.
Initial reports about The Innocence of Muslims being a $5m production made by an Israeli-American director named Sam Bacile unravelled on Wednesday as ruins of the Us consulate in Benghazi continued to smoulder.
Bacile – originally described as a California-based Jewish real estate developer – appeared to be a fake identity, and Hollywood could find no trace of his supposed feature-length attack on the prophet Muhammad. The blasphemous, 13-minute "trailer" posted online – a ramshackle compilation of scenes which depicted Muhammad as an illegitimate, murderous paedophile – was real, but there was growing doubt that a film existed.
- 9/13/2012
- by Rory Carroll
- The Guardian - Film News
The day following an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi that killed the U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, news reports have focused on a 14-minute trailer for an obscure anti-Muslim film that mocks the Prophet Muhammad and was the target of protests outside the consulate before it was raided.
U.S. officials have told news outlets that the attackers may have planned the killings in advance, using the the protest over the video as a diversion. But questions have continued over the film, titled "Innocence of Muslims," that spread via YouTube and Middle Eastern media ahead of the attacks and depicts the Islamic prophet as a womanizer, a pedophile and a homosexual, among other characterizations.
Some questions about the movie, the shabby trailer for which was deconstructed by reporters on Wednesday, have been answered. Actors from the film claim they had...
U.S. officials have told news outlets that the attackers may have planned the killings in advance, using the the protest over the video as a diversion. But questions have continued over the film, titled "Innocence of Muslims," that spread via YouTube and Middle Eastern media ahead of the attacks and depicts the Islamic prophet as a womanizer, a pedophile and a homosexual, among other characterizations.
Some questions about the movie, the shabby trailer for which was deconstructed by reporters on Wednesday, have been answered. Actors from the film claim they had...
- 9/13/2012
- by Jaweed Kaleem
- Huffington Post
The man behind video excerpts from an anti-Muslim movie that provoked mobs in Egypt and Libya said Wednesday that he has gone into hiding. But doubts rose about the man’s exact identity amid a flurry of false claims about his background and role in the purported film. The filmmaker, who identified himself in a telephone interview with The Associated Press as Sam Bacile, said he is an Israeli-born, Jewish writer and director of Innocence of Muslims. Bacile was the name used to publish excerpts of the movie online as early as July 2.
But some key facts about Bacile’s...
But some key facts about Bacile’s...
- 9/12/2012
- by Associated Press
- EW - Inside Movies
After YouTube clips of his amateurish, green-screen-heavy film "The Innocence of Muslims" or "Muslim Innocence" were translated into Arabic and led to riots in Egypt and Libya this week, Sam Bacile has become the most famous independent filmmaker in the world, despite the fact that nothing is known about his past, his roots or how he actually funded his project.
Bacile had no internet presence and was a member of no social media networks prior to this incident. There are no early casting calls or production notices for the film. Nor does the film have a page on IMDb, the film database. No actors or crew members have been named or identified, and only a couple of the film's apparent backers -- fringe figures like pastor Terry Jones, Morris Sadek of the Coptic Church and Steve Klein, a "consultant" on the film who self-released an anti-Islamic book in 2010 -- have come forward to reveal themselves.
Bacile had no internet presence and was a member of no social media networks prior to this incident. There are no early casting calls or production notices for the film. Nor does the film have a page on IMDb, the film database. No actors or crew members have been named or identified, and only a couple of the film's apparent backers -- fringe figures like pastor Terry Jones, Morris Sadek of the Coptic Church and Steve Klein, a "consultant" on the film who self-released an anti-Islamic book in 2010 -- have come forward to reveal themselves.
- 9/12/2012
- by Lucas Kavner
- Huffington Post
Updated, 3:52 p.m. Est Sam Bacile, the filmmaker behind an anti-Muslim film that whipped up a wave of violence in the Middle East, remains a figure cloaked in mystery -- despite his role in a worsening international incident. The filmmaker has reportedly gone into hiding after an American ambassador was killed in Libya Tuesday. But the basic biographical details of the director and producer of "Innocence of Muslims" remain not just sketchy but frequently contradictory. In fact, Bacile may not even be the director's real name. Steve Klein, a Riverside, Calif.,-based Christian activist who...
- 9/12/2012
- by Brent Lang
- The Wrap
The Innocence of Muslims has sparked mayhem in Egypt and protest in Libya, and Us-based film-maker has gone into hiding
The maker of the anti-Muhammad film that sparked mayhem in Egypt and protest in Libya has gone into hiding, leaving questions over his identity.
He has been widely named as Sam Bacile – with his age varying from 52 to 56 – but conflicting reports suggested that Bacile was a pseudonym for a California-based anti-Muslim zealot who appeared to have intentionally stoked fury in the Arab world.
The Associated Press, which interviewed him over the phone from an undisclosed location, described him as "a California real estate developer who identifies himself as an Israeli Jew". However, the California Association of Realtors told the Guardian he was not a member and appears not to have a real estate licence. He does not appear on the state's Department of Real Estate's database.
"A lot of things...
The maker of the anti-Muhammad film that sparked mayhem in Egypt and protest in Libya has gone into hiding, leaving questions over his identity.
He has been widely named as Sam Bacile – with his age varying from 52 to 56 – but conflicting reports suggested that Bacile was a pseudonym for a California-based anti-Muslim zealot who appeared to have intentionally stoked fury in the Arab world.
The Associated Press, which interviewed him over the phone from an undisclosed location, described him as "a California real estate developer who identifies himself as an Israeli Jew". However, the California Association of Realtors told the Guardian he was not a member and appears not to have a real estate licence. He does not appear on the state's Department of Real Estate's database.
"A lot of things...
- 9/12/2012
- by Rory Carroll
- The Guardian - Film News
An Israeli filmmaker based in California went into hiding after a YouTube trailer of his movie attacking Islam’s prophet Muhammad sparked angry assaults by ultra-conservative Muslims on U.S. missions in Egypt and Libya. The U.S. ambassador to Libya and three American members of his staff were killed.
Speaking by phone Tuesday from an undisclosed location, writer and director Sam Bacile remained defiant, saying Islam is a cancer and that the 56-year-old intended his film to be a provocative political statement condemning the religion.
Protesters angered over Bacile’s film opened fire on and burned down the U.
Speaking by phone Tuesday from an undisclosed location, writer and director Sam Bacile remained defiant, saying Islam is a cancer and that the 56-year-old intended his film to be a provocative political statement condemning the religion.
Protesters angered over Bacile’s film opened fire on and burned down the U.
- 9/12/2012
- by Associated Press
- EW - Inside Movies
Sam Bacile stands by his film, Innocence of Muslims, and describes Islam as 'a cancer'
An Israeli film-maker based in California has gone into hiding after his film attacking the prophet Muhammad sparked angry assaults by ultra-conservative Muslims on Us missions in Egypt and Libya, claiming the life of one American.
Speaking by phone from an undisclosed location, the writer and director Sam Bacile remained defiant, describing Islam as "a cancer". The 56-year-old said he had intended his film to be a provocative political statement condemning the religion.
Protesters angered by Bacile's film on Tuesday opened fire on, and burned down, the Us consulate in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, killing a Us diplomat. In Egypt, protesters scaled the walls of the Us embassy in Cairo and replaced an American flag with an Islamic banner.
"This is a political movie," said Bacile. "The Us lost a lot of money...
An Israeli film-maker based in California has gone into hiding after his film attacking the prophet Muhammad sparked angry assaults by ultra-conservative Muslims on Us missions in Egypt and Libya, claiming the life of one American.
Speaking by phone from an undisclosed location, the writer and director Sam Bacile remained defiant, describing Islam as "a cancer". The 56-year-old said he had intended his film to be a provocative political statement condemning the religion.
Protesters angered by Bacile's film on Tuesday opened fire on, and burned down, the Us consulate in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, killing a Us diplomat. In Egypt, protesters scaled the walls of the Us embassy in Cairo and replaced an American flag with an Islamic banner.
"This is a political movie," said Bacile. "The Us lost a lot of money...
- 9/12/2012
- The Guardian - Film News
First Lady Gaga shows up on a red carpet dressed in a giant egg and slathered in meat. Nicki Minaj shoots back by bringing a fake pope to an awards show. Then Madonna reminds us that she's still out there by holding a gun to her head in concert. And now we have Mother Monster's official response to all those amateurs. Lady Gaga just turned herself into a unicorn—suck it, haters. This photos come courtesy of the Little Monsters site and photographer Steve Klein. Is that him, ummm, bringing up the rear? Or maybe it's a set of mannequin legs crafted from stardust and Andy Warhol's discarded dreams. Or maybe we should just stop thinking about it because it'll ruin all that...
- 8/3/2012
- E! Online
Emporio Armani unveiled its new print ads today, staring a scantily clad Rihanna lounging in the back of a classic car. And they manage to turn “dammmnnnn” into a nineteen syllable word. Seriously, this looks like the start of the best car wash of our lives. The steamy black and white images were photographed by Steve Klein, famous for directing Lady Gaga’s equally sexy music video for “Alejandro”. The Barbadian beauty showed off a new blonde Tinkerbell ‘do for the shoot, which we’re feelin’ is most likely a wig. RiRi was announced as the face, or should we say “body” of Emporio Armani underwear back in July, following in the footsteps of Megan Fox and Victoria Beckham. Whatever she’s selling, we’ll take it. Two, in fact.
[Photo: Emporio Armani]...
[Photo: Emporio Armani]...
- 9/12/2011
- by Jordan Runtagh
- TheFabLife - Movies
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