Bush brushes off shoe attack

Muntadar al-Zaidi threw his shoes at George W Bush during a Baghdad press conference, calling him a dog.
Mr Bush was unhurt in the incident, but his spokeswoman, Dana Perino, received a black eye in the melee that ensued.

Mr Zaidi on Tuesday appeared before an investigating judge and "admitted the action he carried out", a High Judicial Council spokesman said.

Iraq's military earlier denied claims by Mr Zaidi's brother that the journalist had been beaten in custody.

The TV journalist allegedly suffered a broken arm, broken ribs and internal bleeding after the incident, his older brother, Dargham, told the BBC.

Mr Zaidi has been remanded in custody while the judge investigates the case as part of complicated legal proceedings that could take months before a possible trial.

Black eye

Ms Perino said Mr Bush trusted Iraq's legal system to decide an appropriate punishment for the assault.

Muntadar al-Zaidi (file image)

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"The president harbours no hard feelings about the incident," she said.

Arrested by forces under the command of Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, Iraq's national security adviser, Iraqi authorities have said Mr Zaidi, 28, will be prosecuted under the country's law.

"Zaidi was brought today before the investigating judge in the presence of a defence lawyer and a prosecutor," said Abdul Satar Birqadr, a spokesman for Iraq's High Judicial Council spokesman.

If he is charged with trying to murder a president, his sentence could be seven to 15 years in prison, said Mr Birqadr.

Tuesday saw a second day of rallies being held across Iraq hailing Mr Zaidi as a hero and calling for his release.

Meanwhile, offers to buy the shoes he threw were reportedly being made around the Arab world for as much as $10m (£6.5m).