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

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

A U.S. District Court hearing was scheduled for Nakoula on Thursday 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 Muhammad as a womanizer, religious 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.