A man who threw his shoes at former U.S. president George W. Bush during a farewell visit to Iraq in 2008 is now running for a seat in the embattled country’s Council of Representatives.
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Broadcaster Muntadhar al-Zaidi, 39, recently announced his campaign to run in the May 12 parliamentary elections and has even hinted at running for the presidency.
He made the announcement in a video shared online and it comes nearly 10 years after his infamous footwear attack on Bush, which included a verbal assault on the former president.
“This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people, you dog,” al-Zaidi yelled as he tossed the shoe before being pinned to the floor by security personnel. “You killed the Iraqis!”
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FILE - In this Dec. 14, 2008 file image made from APTN video, Iraqi reporter Muntadhar al-Zeidi throws a shoe at President George W. Bush during a news conference with Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Malik in Baghdad, Iraq. Al-Zeidi was released from a Baghdad prison Tuesday Sept. 15, 2009, his brother said. (AP Photo/APTN, File)
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FILE - In this Dec. 14, 2008 file image made from APTN video, Iraqi reporter Muntadhar al-Zeidi throws a shoe at President George W. Bush,left, during a news conference with Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Malik in Baghdad, Iraq. (AP Photo/APTN, File)
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Muntadhar al-Zeidi, center, an Iraqi reporter who threw his shoes at former President George W. Bush, speaks during a press conference at the offices of his employer Baghdadiyah TV after his release from a Baghdad prison Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was deeply embarrassed by his act of protest. Al-Maliki was standing beside Bush at a Dec. 14 news conference when the reporter suddenly shot up from his chair had hurled his shoes toward the podium. Bush was unhurt but had to duck twice to avoid being hit. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
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NEW DELHI , INDIA - MAY 15: Iraqi Journalist Muntazer Al Zaidi with filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt at a press conference before the play "The Last Salute" , hindi play inspired by Zaidi's act of throwing a shoe at George W Bush during a press conference in Baghdad. (Photo by Qamar Sibtain/India Today Group/Getty Images)
Al-Zaidi revealed to CNN in an interview that he may have aspirations of running for Iraq’s top office.
“If I become the prime minister of Iraq or the president then the first thing I will do is to ask the United States of America to officially apologize to all Iraqis, to compensate the victims and hold former president George W. Bush accountable.”