Iraqi Shoe-Thrower May Go Free Monday

Group leader grabbed gun from guard, set off melee

(NEWSER) - Members of al-Qaeda staged a deadly attempt to break out of a Baghdad jail today, reports Reuters . The current death toll stands at 11 prisoners and seven security officers, including one of Iraq's top anti-terror officials. The trouble began when al-Qaeda leader Huthaifa al-Batawi—who's accused of masterminding a church attack that killed dozens last year—grabbed a gun from a guard and began shooting, reports AFP . More»

Critics say Friedman, others, are whitewashing the war

(NEWSER) - Scribes all over the place are using Sunday's election in Iraq to declare a victory in the US war there, and that has critics seething that they're just trying to justify their original support for a misguided and costly adventure. Several take aim at Tom Friedman for the column today in which he argues that while the war "should have and could have" been better executed, "George W. Bush's gut instinct that this region craved and needed democracy was always right." The price was high, he writes in the New York Times, but "democracy was never going to have a virgin birth in a place like Iraq." More»

Another man fires footwear of his own at Bush critic

(NEWSER) - The Iraqi journalist who famously chucked his shoes at George Bush got a taste of what it's like to be on the receiving end today. During a press conference in Paris to push his campaign for "victims of the US occupation," Muntadhar al-Zeidi had to duck when a critic stood up, yelled, "Here's another shoe for you," and let it fly. Like Bush, al-Zeidi managed to dodge successfully, reports AFP . More»

Footwear-throwing journalist al-Zaidi ranks no. 5

(NEWSER) - Muntadhar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi reporter who threw a shoe at George W. Bush, was released from jail yesterday, leading the Christian Science Monitor to reflect on other top “footwear misusers” through the years:

1. Richard Reid: The would-be shoe bomber brought homemade explosives onto a flight from Paris to Miami in December 2001, but they didn’t work. He did succeed, however, in annoying travelers, who now have to remove their shoes to go through airport security.

Reporter al-Zeidi leaves prison after tossing shoe at Bush last year

(NEWSER) - The Iraqi reporter who was locked up for throwing his shoes at George W. Bush says he was tortured in prison, the BBC reports. He was released today after nine months in a Baghdad jail, Reuters notes, and says he plans to identify those officials who tortured him. Relatives say he’s still scared for his life. “Today I am free again but my home is still a prison,” Muntadar al-Zaidi told reporters. More»