Meanwhile, the press questions Bacile's identity. Some reports suggest that the name Bacile may be a pseudonym for someone affiliated with the Egyptian Coptic Christian diaspora, while others doubt the director has been contacted at all.
A man who claimed he was a consultant on the film told The Atlantic that Bacile was a pseudonym, and that the man was not Jewish or Israeli. Israeli officials said there was no record of him being a citizen.
Amid the controversy and rumors surrounding the film, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, a California Coptic Christian earlier convicted of financial crimes, has confirmed his role in managing and providing logistics for its production. He denied having directed the film or knowing purported director Sam Bacile. However, AP reports that the phone number the agency used to reach Bacile was used to trace Nakoula outside Los Angeles. Further, according to federal court papers, Nakoula was known to use the surname Bacily as an alias.