**The Iraqi man who threw his shoes at former US President George W Bush has been released from jail in Baghdad, his brother has said.**Muntadar al-Zaidi’s act of protest last December made him a hero in large parts of the Arab world and beyond.
Zaidi was convicted of assaulting a foreign leader and was sentenced to three years in jail - later reduced to 12 months after an appeal.
He spent nine months in jail before being freed early for good behaviour.
The BBC’s Hugh Sykes, in Baghdad, says although Zaidi became a hero to many, large numbers of Iraqis think his actions were unforgivably rude.
Beating allegations
Zaidi’s family has been preparing to hold a party for him and he has received offers of money, jobs and even marriage from sympathisers across the Arab world.
“This is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog”
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His action was also celebrated in internet games and on T-shirts.
His brother, Dargham al-Zaidi, says the journalist was beaten while in prison, suffering a broken arm, broken ribs and internal bleeding. Those allegations have been rejected by the Iraqi military.
The previously little-known journalist worked for the private Cairo-based al-Baghdadia TV.
As he flung the shoes, Zaidi shouted: “This is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog. This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq.”