Iraqi journalist Muntadhar Al-Zeidi, who made international headlines when he threw his shoes at former President George W. Bush during an official press conference in Baghdad, will be released from prison early for good behavior, says NBC Chicago.

Karim Al-Shujairi, the shoe-thrower’s attorney, said his client would be released on September 14 after three months were removed from his sentence for good behavior. “His release will be a victory for the free and honorable Iraqi media,” said Al-Shujairi.

Al-Zeidi, who pleaded not guilty, was initially sentenced to three years for assaulting a foreign leader, reports FOCUS. The court later reduced it to one year because the 30-year-old reporter had no prior criminal history. Throwing shoes at someone is considered a major insult in Middle Eastern culture.

Al-Zeidi’s act occurred amidst anger over the 2003 US invasion and the continued occupation of Iraq. It made the journalist, who worked for Al-Baghdadia TV, a folk hero throughout the Arab world and embarrassed Nouri Al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, who was standing next to Bush at the time. Thousands rallied for Al-Zeidi’s release and supported his gesture, which occurred in the waning days of the Bush administration, says the Associated Press.

Al-Zeidi’s outburst, which was captured on video, became an instant internet sensation. In the video, Bush successfully dodges the first fast-flying shoe and the second is swatted down by Al-Maliki. Al-Zeidi, before being restrained, shouts, “This is your farewell kiss, you dog! This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq."

Al-Zeidi became a hero for many critics of the Bush administration, says the Post Chronicle. The journalist now has a global fan base of supporters on the social networking site Facebook, where one of the fan groups is called the "Shoe-Throwing Appreciation Society."

McCain, of RightPundits.com, criticized Al-Zeidi’s early release, saying that the reporter had been “arrested twice by the US military in Iraq for snooping around where he did not belong.” He added, “We should have thrown away the key while we had the chance.”