Iraqi journalist apologizes for shoe-throwing incident

According to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s office, the journalist who threw his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush has sent a written apology to the prime minister.

Yassin Majid, press aide to the prime minister told the press that Muntazer al-Zaidi has sent a handwritten apology note about the shoe-throwing incident to the Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Majid, however, didn’t show the note to the press. The judge Dhiya al-Kenani investigating the case has denied the bail for Muntazer al-Zaidi for his own safety but assured the public that he was in good health. There were minor bruises on his face but it occurred when he was arrested, not afterward, according to the judge. Kenani said Zaidi understands the gravity of the situation and has confessed to the crime. He told AFP:

"When he was asked whether he had acted on the orders of a political party or for money, he said 'no.' And when asked if he was aware of the effect of his gesture, he answered 'yes'."

The judge said the punishment would have been more severe if the shoes had actually hit President Bush; so Zaidi may escape with a slight punishment for just throwing the shoes at Bush. Al-Zaidi faces between 5 and 15 years prison sentence if convicted of all charges. The judge said the investigation will be complete by this weekend and the case will be transferred to the high criminal court and three judges will decide a trial date. The judge also announced that the shoes were destroyed to make sure they didn’t contain any explosives hidden inside. When asked about the only piece of evidence being destroyed Kenani replied the following:

"I would have preferred to have had the shoes as evidence for the case but since Muntazer al-Zaidi has confessed to his action and that the television pictures confirm it, the investigation can continue,"

But Zaidi’s brother disputes the apology note and confession. One of Zaidi's brothers told Reuters:

"This information is absolutely not true. This is a lie. Muntazer is my brother and I know him very well. He does not apologize...But if it happened, I tell you it happened under pressure."