Iraqi "shoe thrower" suffers beatings and broken bones while in custody.

He may be a hero to millions of Iraqis but the “shoe man” has had to spend a second night in detention, during which he nursed a broken arm and ribs as well as cuts to his face, according to his brother.

Muntazer al-Zaidi rose to fame on Sunday when he threw his shoes at President George Bush during a Baghdad press conference, missing narrowly, in apparent protest at the actions of US troops over the past few years.

His brother, Durgham al-Zaidi, said he was told that Mr al-Zaidi is held by Iraqi forces in the heavily fortified Green Zone compound in central Baghdad, where the US embassy and most government offices are housed.

“He has got a broken arm and ribs, and cuts to his eye and arm,” he said. “He is being held by forces under the command of Muwafaq al-Rubaie [Iraq’s national security adviser]." Television pictures from the press conference show Mr al-Zaidi being carried away by prime ministerial guards but no sign of excess violence.

Thousands of Iraqis, both Sunni and Shia, took part in a second day of street protests today demanding Mr Zaidi’s release and hailing him a national hero. In Mosul, Iraq’s third largest city, north of Baghdad, an estimated 1,000 protesters carried banners and chanted slogans in his support.

Several hundred more also protested in Nasiriyah, a Shia city about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad, and in Fallujah, a Sunni area west of the capital. “Muntazer al-Zaidi has expressed the feelings and ambitions of the Iraqi people toward the symbol of tyranny,” said Nassar Afrawi, a protester in Nasiriyah.

This is a HUGE public relations problem for the United States.

In fact if the Bush administration does not push for the release of this man, his incarceration may result in an uptick in violence directed toward American troops in Iraq. (Yes I understand that he is being held by the Iraqi government, but the Iraqis know who is really pulling the strings.)

This man, Muntazer al-Zaid, is a hero to the Iraqis right now. But if he is killed or badly abused while in custody he will be elevated to a national symbol representing the atrocities visited upon Iraq by the United States. This can revitalize the militants and the insurgency and bring the violence back up to 2006 levels.

And this can cause Barack Obama yet another series of headaches. It will be much more difficult to bring the troops home if there is a resurgence in violence directed at the US soldiers stationed there.

They need to release this guy IMMEDIATELY! Then they need to make sure he receives quality medical care and give him his damn shoes back!