copyright 2009, The Washington Post BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi television journalist who hurled his shoes at then-President George W. Bush was released Tuesday after nine months in prison, claiming Iraqi authorities had tortured him. Muntadar al-Zaidi, whose act turned him into a hero in the Arab and Muslim worlds, said that his life was in danger in Iraq and his family said that he would flee the country Wednesday. Al-Zaidi, who was greeted outside jail by several lawmakers who supported his case, had been convicted of insulting a head of state. He received a three-year sentence in March that was later reduced to one. He was then released early. 'Here I am free while my country is still in captivity,' al-Zaidi said while meeting with reporters at the television station where he had worked. He was wearing a dark suit with an Iraqi flag wrapped out his neck and looked in good physical condition, though he was missing a front tooth. Al-Zaidi was unrepentant, saying he remained angry over the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. 'The invasion divided brothers and neighbors and turned our houses into places for endless mourning and our streets and parks into cemeteries,' he said. 'Shame was chasing me, like an ugly name, for my helplessness.' The journalist, who was unknown before the incident, said Iraqi guards beat him with iron cables and shocked him with electricity while in prison. He also said that immediately after hurling both his shoes at Bush during a Dec. 4 news conference with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad's Green Zone, he had been taken to the back yard of the conference building and tortured. He added that he was soaked in water and left in a cold place until the next morning. Al-Zaidi promised to reveal the names of those who were involved in torturing him, including senior officials in the government and the army. Bush, who was on his final visit to Iraq, ducked twice to avoid being hit by al-Zaidi's shoes. After speaking to reporters, the 30-year-old reporter remained at the television station, where a doctor examined him. His family said that he would spend the night at an unknown location before leaving Wednesday for Greece, where he would receive medical and psychological exams. 