Shoe-thrower al-Zaidi released from prison

Muntazer al-Zaidi, better known as the Iraqi shoe-thrower who hurled his size 10s at George W Bush, has been released, according to his brother Uday.

Al-Zaidi will be transferred to a hospital in Greece following his release from an Iraqi military compound at Baghdad airport. There he will undergo physical and psychological treatment following claims from his family he was tortured during his imprisonment.

When he eventually returns to Iraq, the man who became a symbol of resistance to US intervention can expect to be showered with gifts. Would-be benefactors have so far offered him a new four-bedroom house, a new car and a bride who comes with a gold dowry.

Zaidi became a hero across the Arab world for his actions during the former US president's farewell visit to Iraq last December. Images of Bush ducking to avoid the projectile were made into T-shirts, stencilled on walls and even appeared in internet games.

Salah al-Janabi, a Baghdad salesman, called Zaidi "a David and Goliath figure", adding: "when the history books are written, they will look back on this episode with great acclaim. Al-Zaidi's shoes were his slingshot".

The four-bedroom house has been built by Zaidi's former employer, the al-Baghdadia television channel. During his nine-month stint in jail, other offers have poured into the TV station for the shoe-thrower, including pledges of money, healthcare and harems.

"One Iraqi who lived in Morocco called to offer to send his daughter to be Muntazer's wife," said al-Baghdadia editor Abdul Hamid al-Saij. "Another called from Saudi Arabia offering $10m for his shoes, and another called from Morocco offering a gold-saddled horse."

Dozens of women called up asking to marry Zaidi after he flung his shoes at Bush, but the TV station failed to take their names, his boss admitted. "Many of their reactions were emotional. We will see what happens when he is freed."

The offers of money and healthcare will come in handy for Zaidi's expected legal case against the government for the torture he alleges. Medical reports say that he has lost at least one tooth and is suffering from two broken ribs and a broken foot that have not healed properly.

Meanwhile another of Zaidi's brothers, Maitham, has revealed that the shoe-thrower was braced for a US bullet when he hurled his insult at Bush. "He thought the secret service was going to shoot him," Maitham al Zaidi told the Guardian. "He expected that, and he was not afraid to die."

Another brother, Vergam, said al-Zaidi has no plans to work again as a journalist: "He doesn't want his work to be a circus. Every time he asked someone a difficult question they would have responded by asking whether he was going to throw his shoes at them." He is believed to be considering starting a human rights charity.

Maitham said he has a sense of the gathering fuss awaiting his brother's release next week. "I feel like Michael Jackson at the moment. Everywhere I go, people are taking pictures of me and asking for my photo. If they do that for me, what will they do for Muntazer himself?" ·