Actress sues Islam filmmaker

An actress in the anti-Islam film, "Innocence of Muslims," which has sparked Muslim demonstrations in at least 20 countries, sued the film's producer for fraud and slander on Wednesday, claiming she had received death threats as a result.

The actress, Cindy Lee Garcia, filed a complaint in the Los Angeles Superior Court, citing slander, fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Garcia's lawyer is also anticipated to request that YouTube remove the video.

"This lawsuit is not an attack on the First Amendment nor on the right for Americans to say what they think, but does request that the offending content be removed from the Internet," Garcia's lawyer, M. Cris Armenta, said.

Garcia claims that she has received death threats and lost her job because of fears over her life.

'Duped' into starring in film

The film's creator, who has been named as Coptic Christian Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, duped Garcia into taking part in the film by claiming he was producing an adventure movie about ancient Egypt called "Desert Warrior," according to Garcia's case.

"There was no mention of 'Mohammed' during filming or on set. There were no references made to religion nor was there any sexual content of which Ms. Garcia was aware," said the lawsuit.

Garcia appears in the movie several times, including an explicit scene involving the prophet Mohammed. The film's explicit dialogue seems to have been dubbed post-production.

The movie has triggered a wave of Muslim protests in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, taking place over several days. The violent demonstrations have led to several deaths, including that of the US ambassador to Libya last week, after America's diplomatic facilities in Benghazi were stormed.

sej/slk (Reuters, dpa)