The Iraqi journalist who threw shoes at then-President George W Bush was convicted on Thursday of assaulting a foreign leader and sentenced to three years in prison, lawyers said.

A huge shoe sculpture honouring the Iraqi reporter who gained global fame by throwing his footwear at former US president George W Bush has now been dismantled.

The footwear that robbed George W Bush of his dignity and landed its owner Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi - who hurled them at the US President at a press meet in Baghdad - in prison, has yielded an unexpected bonanza for its maker.

The trial of Muntazer al-Zaidi, the Iraqi man who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush, will start on Wednesday, his judge investigating his case told AFP on Monday.

Security agents destroyed the shoes thrown at US President George W Bush by an Iraqi journalist during checks to ensure they did not contain explosives, the investigating judge said on Thursday.