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Nakoula held by US Police for film against Islam

Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies escorted Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, to an awaiting car. The man declined to answer questions on his way out and wore a hat and a towel over his face. He kept his hands in the pocket of a winter coat, reports Los Angeles Times. 

Sheriff's officials could not be reached by The Times, but department spokesman Steve Whitmore told NBC4 that deputies assisting the federal probation department took Nakoula to the sheriff's substation in Cerritos for interviewing. Authorities waited until most media had left for the day. 

Reuters talked to Karen Redmond, spokeswoman for the administrative office of the US Courts in Washington, DC, by phone from Los Angeles. "The US probation office in the central district of California is reviewing the case," said Redmond. 

A source with knowledge of the case confirmed that the probation office was looking specifically into Nakoula's possible involvement in making the film for violations of the terms of his release. 

The crudely made 13-minute English-language video, which was filmed in California and circulated on the Internet under several titles including "Innocence of Muslims," portrays the Prophet Mohammad engaged in crude and offensive behaviour. 

The film sparked a violent protest at the US consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi in which the US ambassador and three other Americans were killed on Tuesday. 

Earlier Friday, sheriff's deputies had to escort attorneys through a scrum of news cameras into Nakoula's home. This time, authorities only had to avoid a lone photographer for The Times and a few other lingering reporters.

Nakoula has told the Associated Press he was a logistics manager on the "Innocence of Muslims" movie, not the director. He told a Coptic bishop Thursday that he had no role in it, the clergyman told The Times. Nakoula is believed to use the alias Sam Bacile, which was the name a caller who took credit for the film gave to the Associated Press and Wall Street Journal.

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