Message #118937

[Bianca]

                                              Shoe thrower 'beaten in custody' 
 





BBC NEWS
Dec. 16, 2008

The brother of the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush has said that the reporter has been beaten in custody.

Muntadar al-Zaidi has suffered a broken hand, broken ribs and internal bleeding, as well as an eye injury, his older brother, Dargham, told the BBC.

Mr Zaidi threw his shoes at Mr Bush at a news conference, calling him "a dog".

The BBC tried to contact Iraq's top security official but he was not available for comment.

Meanwhile, offers to buy the shoes are being made around the Arab world, reports say.

Mass rallies in support of Mr Zaidi have also been held across Iraq, calling for his release.

Dargham al-Zaidi told the BBC's Caroline Wyatt in Baghdad he believed his brother had now been taken to a US military hospital in the Iraqi capital.