Muntazer al Zaidi

- Also known as Muntadhar al-ZaidiCNN: Angry Iraqi throws shoes at Bush in Baghdad
- Age at time of incident: 28
- Works as a correspondent for Cairo-based Al-Baghdadiya TVWorld Watch (CBS News): The Celebrity Shoe Thrower
- Threw his shoes at President Bush at a Baghdad press conference on Sunday, December 14, 2008
- Shouted "It is the farewell kiss, you dog" before hurling his shoes at BushAFP: Arab world hails shoe attack as Bush's farewell gift
- Bush ducked and was not injured in the shoe-throwing incident
- The day after the incident, Al-Baghdadiya television demanded al-Zaidi's releaseAFP: Arab world hails shoe attack as Bush's farewell gift
- Thousands of Iraqis rallied for al-Zaidi's release on December 15, 2008BBC News: Iraq rally for Bush shoe attacker (December 15, 2008)
- Co-workers claim al-Zaidi "detested America" and had been planning the attack against Bush for several monthsAFP: Arab world hails shoe attack as Bush's farewell gift
- al-Zaidi also described by colleagues as "rather quiet and composed"World Watch (CBS News): The Celebrity Shoe Thrower
- Brother claimed that he was beaten by officials while in custodyBBC News: Shoe thrower 'beaten in custody' (December 16, 2008)
- Some have reportedly offered up to $10 million to purchase the thrown shoesBBC News: Shoe thrower 'beaten in custody' (December 16, 2008)
- Turmoil erupted in the Iraqi parliament on December 17, 2008, after several lawmakers demanded the release of al-ZaidiJackson Sun: Iraqi parliament in turmoil over shoe tosser (December 17, 2008)
- On December 18, 2008, about 40 demonstrators gathered outside the U.S. embassy in London to demand al-Zaidi's releaseAFP: Shoe demo targets US embassy in London (December 19, 2008)
- Sentenced to three years in prison on March 12, 2009Times Online: Iraqi who threw shoes at President Bush jailed for three years (March 12, 2009)
- Sentence reduced to one year in appeals court on April 7, 2009CNN: Court reduces sentence for Iraqi shoe-thrower (April 7, 2009)

Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi was arrested after throwing his shoes at President Bush on December 14, 2008. Former President Bush was not injured in the incident which occurred at a press conference in Baghdad.
Al-Zaidi was sentenced to three years in jail in March of 2009, by Iraq's Central Criminal Court. On April 7, 2009, al-Zaidi's sentenced was reduced to one year.http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/2009/04/07/court-reduces-sentence-for-iraqi-shoe-thrower/
After serving nine months in prison, Al-Zaidi was released due to good behavior on September 15, 2009. After his release, Al-Zaidi stated during a press conference that he had been "tortured with the most hideous kind of tortures" and planned to announce the names of senior government officials that were involved in his abuse. Following his release, Al-Zaidi traveled to Greece for medical treatment.http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article6836185.ece
Beaten in Custody

Two days after the shoe-throwing incident, al-Zaidi's brother claimed that he had been beaten by officials while in custody and had not been allowed to speak with a lawyer. An Iraqi military spokesperson refuted these claims and reported that al-Zaidi was not injured.BBC News: Shoe thrower 'beaten in custody' (December 16, 2008) A judge who visited al-Zaidi in prison the week after the shoe-throwing incident confirmed that al-Zaidi had bruises on his face. Uday al-Zeidi, Muntazer al-Zaidi's brother reported that when he visited his brother on December 21, 2008, Muntazer al-Zaidi had cigarette burns on his ears and was missing a tooth.International Herald Tribune: Shoe-thrower blames throat-slitter (December 22, 2008)
Apology and Accusations

On December 18, 2008, a spokesperson for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said al-Zaidi asked for a pardon, describing his behavior as "an ugly act."FOX News: Officials Say Bush 'Shoe-Thrower' Asks for Pardon (December 18, 2008) On December 22, 2008 al-Maliki said that al-Zaidi stated, in the same apology letter which asked for his pardon, that he had been encouraged to throw his shoes at President Bush by a well-known Iraqi militant. Members of al-Zaidi's family who visited him in prison said that he had been coerced into writing the letter and had expressed no regret about the shoe-throwing to them.International Herald Tribune: Shoe-thrower blames throat-slitter (December 22, 2008)