A filmmaker has gone into hiding after his movie attacking Islam's Prophet Muhammad sparked assaults on U.S. missions in Egypt and Libya, where an American State Department officer was killed.

Writer and director Sam Bacile spoke on the phone Tuesday from an unidentified location. He remained defiant, saying Islam is "a cancer" and he wanted his film to make a political statement.

The 56-year-old identifies himself as an Israeli Jew and says he believes his video will help his native land by exposing Islam's flaws to the world. Excerpts dubbed into Arabic were posted on YouTube.

Among other claims that have caused outrage, the film claims Muhammad was a philanderer who approved of child sexual abuse.

Bacile says he's sorry for the person who died, but blames lax embassy security.