An Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at former US President George W. Bush was arrested by security forces in Baghdad on Thursday for encouraging people to rally for better services. A relative of Muntazer al-Zaidi said the reporter was detained in the northern Adhamiya district whilst voicing his support for a mass demonstration expected to be held on Friday.
Iraqis have been protesting for weeks against shortages of food, power and jobs, and against corruption as anti-government demonstration sweep across the Arab world. "Security forces in Adhamiya district arrested Muntazer Zaidi and his brother Durgam. We don't know where they took them," Hashim al-Iraqi, a relative of Zaidi, told Reuters. A security source confirmed Zaidi had been detained for "inciting people" to take part in protests.