Shoe-Hurler Wants Swiss Asylum

A Swiss lawyer working on behalf of the Iraqi journalist who threw shoes at President Bush said today his client will seek political asylum in Switzerland. The Geneva-based lawyer said Muntadhar al-Zaidi's life is in danger if he stays in Iraq. Al-Zaidi has been detained in an Iraqi jail awaiting trial since he was seized by guards after his Dec. 14 outburst.

Al-Zaidi has become an international hero since the loafer-lobbing incident, but concern has been raised about his safety after allegations that he had been severely beaten and tortured in detention. "He is in danger over there," the lawyer says. "He's also in danger in other Muslim countries because people who support his action could try to make him a martyr." (More Iraq stories.)