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Bush shoe thrower in military custody

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-12-17 08:10

An Iraqi government official says the journalist who threw his shoes at US President George W. Bush has been handed over to the Iraqi military command in Baghdad.

The official said Muntadhar al-Zeidi has been turned over to the prime minister's security guards to face further investigation by the military agency in charge of enforcing law in Baghdad.

An Iraqi journalist holds a banner featuring a picture of Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi, which reads 'throw off your shoe,' during a gathering to demand his release, at the journalist syndicate in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2008. Al-Zeidi, the journalist who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush, was handed over to the Iraqi judiciary, an Iraqi official said Tuesday, a move that ordinarily signals the start of criminal proceedings.[Agencies]

The official spoke on condition of anonymity yesterday because he was not authorized to talk to the news media.

Thousands took to the streets in Iraq on Monday to protest after al-Zeidi was taken into custody for throwing his shoes at the president during a Sunday news conference. He could face charges of insulting a foreign leader and the Iraqi prime minister, who was standing next to Bush.

Broken arm and ribs

Al-Zeidi has got a broken arm and ribs after being struck by Iraqi security agents, his brother told AFP yesterday.

Durgham Zaidi was unable to say whether his brother Muntadhar had sustained the injuries while being overpowered during Sunday's protest against Bush's visit or while in custody later.

He said he had been told that his brother was being held by Iraqi forces in the heavily fortified Green Zone compound in central Baghdad where the US embassy and most government offices are housed.

"He has got a broken arm and ribs, and cuts to his eye and arm," said Durgham.

"He is being held by forces under the command of Muaffaq al-Rubaie," Iraq's national security adviser, he added.

Zaidi, 29, a journalist for the private Iraqi television channel Al-Baghdadia, was swiftly overpowered by Iraqi security forces after he threw the shoes at Bush in a gesture seen as the supreme mark of disrespect in the Muslim world.

Agencies - AFP