Man throws shoe at Turkish premier

A Syrian man who tried to hit the Turkish Prime Minister with a shoe has been arrested by Spanish police.

The incident happened as Recep Tayyip Erdogan left the town hall in the southern city of Seville after receiving an award.

The shoe flew over his head as he was about to get into a car with his wife.

Spain’s Cadena SER radio played a recording in which the man shouted “Long live Kurdistan” in Spanish before being arrested. Turkey has been battling Kurdish rebels since 1984.

A police spokeswoman said today that the 26-year-old was living illegally in Spain with a Syrian passport.

An attempt by an Iraqi journalist to hit US President George Bush with his shoes in Baghdad in 2008 has been copied around the world.