The Iraqi reporter who threw his shoes at US President George W. Bush and called him a "dog" will stand trial on December 31, a court official said on Monday. TV journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi is charged with "assaulting a foreign head of state visiting Iraq," said Abdul Satar Birqadr, spokesman for Iraq's High Judicial Council.
"The Criminal Court has set a date for trial on December 31 and a three-judge panel will run the hearings," he said. "The case is not complicated and I expect it won't take a great deal of time to reach a ruling," he said, adding that it was up to the court to determine a sentence.