Ahmadinejad calls ‘Innocence of Muslims’ film an Israeli plot

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday produced another anti-Israel conspiracy theory by saying the film “Innocence of Muslims,” which has been linked to protests throughout the Arab world, was a plot by the Jewish state to “divide [Muslims] and spark sectarian conflict,” AFP reported.

Ahmadinejad’s remarks come despite Californian Coptic Christian Nakoula Basseley Nakoula’s admitted involvement with the film and the refutation of initial reports of Jewish involvement. “Israeli Jew” Sam Bacile, initially identified in reports as the producer of the film mocking the prophet Mohammed, turned out to be a pseudonym.

Speaking at a parade for the anniversary of the beginning of the 1980s Iran-Iraq war, Ahmadinejad blasted the U.S. for only selectively censoring the film and said Iran should use the “same spirit and belief in itself” from that war to combat sanctions and other pressure from the international community in response to its nuclear program.