Iraqi who threw shoes at Bush freed, welcomed as hero

The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at then-President George W. Bush last year was freed from prison Tuesday, expressing no remorse for hurling what he called a "flower to the occupier." Muntathar al Zaidi received a hero's welcome at the offices of his employer, al Baghdadiya television station, where his colleagues slaughtered sheep and danced in celebration of his release. Zaidi, 30, originally received a three-year prison term for assaulting a head of state, but the sentence was reduced and he was freed early because he had no criminal record. read al Zaida's statement here