BAGHDAD (Agencies) - An Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes and an insult at George W Bush, without hitting him, as the US President was shaking hands with the Iraqi Premier at his Baghdad office on Sunday. The reporter also called Bush a "dog" in Arabic. As the two leaders met in Nuri al-Maliki's private office, an Iraqi journalist sitting in the third row jumped up, shouting: "It is the farewell kiss, you dog," and threw his shoes one after the other towards Bush. Maliki made a protective gesture towards the US President, who was not hit. The shoes missed their target about 15 feet away. One sailed over Bush's head as he stood next to Maliki and smacked into the wall behind him. Bush smiled uncomfortably and Maliki looked strained. Iraqi security officers and US secret service agents leapt at the journalist, Muntazer al-Zaidi from Al-Baghdadia channel which broadcasts from Cairo, and dragged him struggling and screaming out of the room where Bush was giving a news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Other Iraqi journalists apologised on behalf of their colleague. The White House said Bush ducked to avoid the first shoe, while the second narrowly missed the president. Bush said: "Thanks for apologising on behalf of the Iraqi people. It doesn't bother me. If you want the facts, it was a size 10 shoe that he threw", urging everyone to calm down as a ruckus broke out in the conference room. Playing down the incident, the President later made light of it, saying, "I don't know what the guy's cause is... I didn't feel the least bit threatened by it."