BAGHDAD, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The Iraqi journalist who threw shoes at U.S. President George Bush showed signs that he had been beaten while in custody, a judge in Baghdad said Friday.
Judge Dhia al-Kinani said the reporter, Muntazer al-Zaidi, had bruises on his face and around his eyes, The Guardian reported. The judge said the reporter has not filed formal charges concerning his injuries.
Al-Zaidi remained in custody and was expected to face charges of insulting a foreign leader. He threw his shoes, considered an insult in Iraq, at Bush during a joint weekend news conference in Baghdad with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Al-Zaidi's family said he suffered a broken arm and other injuries after he was removed from the news conference by Iraqi security officers and U.S. secret service agents.
Meanwhile, Maliki's office Thursday said al-Zaidi asked the prime minister for forgiveness in a letter in which the journalist said his "big ugly act cannot be excused," but he was appealing to Maliki's "fatherly feelings to forgive me," the British newspaper reported.
Al-Zaidi appeared before a judge Tuesday and admitted "aggression against a president," which carries a 15-year prison sentence, officials said.
Protesters have rallied for al-Zaidi, demanding he be released. In other shows of support, an Egyptian man offered his daughter as a bride to al-Zaidi and cobblers in several Middle Eastern countries claimed the shoes were made in their factories, The Guardian said. `
