Federal authorities have identified a Coptic Christian of Egyptian background in southern California -- who is on probation as a result of his conviction two years ago for financial crimes -- as the key figure behind the anti-Muslim film that has ignited mob violence against U.S. embassies across the Middle East, the Big News Network website reports today (September 15, 2012).
A U.S. law enforcement official -- who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation -- said authorities had concluded that Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, was the central figure behind the production of "Innocence of Muslims," a film that denigrated Islam and the prophet Muhammad, and sparked protests this week in Egypt, Libya, and Yemen.
Nakoula is believed to be the primary target of an investigation into the deaths of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans in Libya during a terrorist attack.
In 2010, Nakoula was convicted of federal bank fraud in California and ordered to pay more than $790,000 in restitution. He was also sentenced to 21 months in federal prison and is currently on probation.
American actors who appeared in "Innocence of Muslims" issued a joint statement this week, saying they were misled about the film and that some of their dialogue was crudely dubbed and changed during post-production.
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