A journalist who threw his shoes at George W Bush is being held for questioning and being tested for alcohol and drugs by Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki's guards, says an Iraqi government official.
The man threw his shoes at President George W Bush and was dragged away by security officials during the president's farewell trip to Iraq.
The incident occurred as Bush was appearing Sunday with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
"This is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog!" shouted the man, later identified as Muntadar al-Zeidi, a correspondent for Al-Baghdadiya television, an Iraqi owned station based in Cairo, Egypt.
Bush ducked both throws. Neither leader was hit.
Being hit with a shoe is a high form of insult in Arabic culture and Mr al-Zeidi is now being questioned as to whether anyone paid him to carry out the act.
The president joked that: "All I can report is a size 10."
"So what if a guy threw a shoe at me - I didn't feel the least bit threatened by it. This is what happens in free societies, people try to draw attention to themselves," said Bush.
The government official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the media.
AP