ISLAMABAD: The man behind the incendiary film. ‘Innocence of Muslims’, that sparked deadly protests in the Middle East, has a criminal record that includes a narcotics conviction, an online newspaper ‘The Daily Beast’ has reported.
Quoting a source close to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, Christine Pelisek reported that Nakoula Basseley Nakoula was arrested by the LA Country Sheriff’s Department on March 27, 1997 and charged with intent to manufacture methamphetamine. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced on November 3, 1997 to one year in county jail and three-year probation. The DA’s office said he violated probation on April 8, 2002, and was re-sentenced to another year in county jail.
According to the report, Nakoula’s identity and involvement in the film was confirmed to the Associated Press by federal law-enforcement officials. Nakoula, who lives near Los Angeles, had claimed to numerous media outlets that the man who created and directed the film was an Israeli real estate developer named Sam Bacile.
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