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A California man linked to an anti-Islam film that stoked violent protests in the Muslim world denied on Wednesday that he had violated his probation on a bank fraud conviction, and he was sent back to jail until his case can be heard on its merits, Reuters reported.

The man, who has been known publicly as Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, denied under oath in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles that he committed eight probation violations, including lying to officials over the scope his role in the film and using aliases.

If he is found to have violated the terms of his supervised release from prison, the Egyptian-born Coptic Christian man whose legal name is Mark Basseley Youssef could be sent back to prison for two years.

A crudely made 13-minute video attributed to Youssef, 55, was made in California and circulated online under several titles including "Innocence of Muslims." The film portrays the Prophet Mohammad as a fool and sexual deviant.

It touched off a torrent of anti-American unrest in Arab and Muslim countries. That violence coincided with a separate attack on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya.

As outrage against the film mounted, U.S. authorities said they were not investigating the film itself. Youssef was taken into custody last month over the probation issues and has been held without bond at a Los Angeles federal detention center.

Youssef, wearing white jail garb, was escorted into court on Wednesday by five U.S. marshals, his hands shackled in front of him and a pair of reading glasses perched on his head.

Security was tight for the hearing, which was packed with members of the media. Marshals confiscated the cell phones of reporters before they entered the courtroom.

As U.S. District Judge Cristina Snyder read the eight accusations against him, Youssef replied to each one with the word: "Deny." An evidentiary hearing was set for November 9.