US man 'behind anti-Islam film' arrested

Jordanian protesters burn a US flag during a protest against an amateur film mocking Islam near the US embassy in Amman. (Getty Images)

A federal official says the California man behind an anti-Islamic video that has inflamed the Middle East has been arrested for allegedly violating terms of his probation.

US Attorney's spokesman Thomas Mrozek said that 55-year-old Nakoula Basseley Nakoula was taken into custody.

A US District Court hearing was scheduled for Nakoula this afternoon. It was closed to media and the public.

Nakoula is on probation for a 2010 federal check fraud conviction.

Protests have erupted around the Middle East over a 14-minute trailer for the film "Innocence of Muslims" that depicts the Prophet Mohamed as a womanizer, fraud and child molester.

Nakoula, a Christian original from Egypt, went into hiding after he was identified as the man behind the movie trailer, which was posted on YouTube.

AP