The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at former US President George W Bush during a news conference has been released on Monday. Muntadar al-Zaidis audacious act made him a hero in the Arab world. Zaidi, who called Mr Bush a dog, was convicted of assault in March. His family prepared a hero's welcome. Zaidi's three-year prison sentence was reduced to one because he had a clean record. He is released three months early for good behaviour. His family met him at the gates of the Baghdad detention centre. His brother has said that Zaidi has been beaten while in prison, suffering a broken arm, broken ribs and internal bleeding. These allegations have been refuted by the Iraqi military. The previously little-known journalist from the private Cairo-based al-Baghdadia TV has become a hero to many, not just in Iraq but across the Arab world, for what many saw as a fitting send-off for a highly unpopular US president.
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