Mystery Man Behind The Anti-Muslim Film Blamed For Attacks

Scene from YouTube video called 'Muhammad Movie Trailer' uploaded July 2, 2012 under the user name 'Sam Bacile.'

Updated: September 12, 2012, 8:41 PM

Who is Sam Bacile? So far, the answer depends on who you ask and what you read.

Early reports after Tuesday’s violence against American diplomatic posts in Egypt and Libya identified Bacile as the producer and director of an absurd anti-Muslim film blamed for inspiring the anger of the mobs.

But his biography remains sketchy at best. He has claimed to be a real estate developer, but nobody with his name has a real-estate license or appears in corporation records in California. He has been described as Israeli, but Israeli officials have not confirmed or denied that he is a citizen. He has also claimed to have raised millions for his film, but the results, a low-budget, offensive mess, seem to speak for themselves.

What is known is that in the first two days of July, someone with the YouTube username “Sam Bacile” uploaded two similar previews for a supposed full-length feature film called “Innocence of Muslims.” The same user uploaded an overdubbed version, apparently in Arabic, on Sept. 4.

(More here.)