Shoe-hurling journalist scheduled to go to court

The Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at President Bush was expected to appear before a judge today in the first step of a complex legal process that could end in a criminal trial, a government official and the reporter’s brother said.

Although Muntather Zaidi has gained folk hero status across the Arab world by throwing both shoes at Bush during a news conference in Baghdad, Iraqi authorities sent the case to the Central Criminal Court, which handles security and terrorism cases.