The Iraqi journalist who threw shoes at then-president George W. Bush was convicted yesterday of assaulting a foreign leader and sentenced to three years in prison. He defiantly shouted "long live Iraq" when the sentence was read.

Muntadhar al-Zeidi's bold act in December electrified many across the Middle East who consider him a hero for expressing his anger at a president who is widely disliked for his decision to invade Iraq in 2003.

The 30-year-old journalist pleaded not guilty to the assault charge yesterday, telling the three-judge panel that "what I did was a natural response to the occupation."