BAGHDAD , Iraq ( CNN ) -- The Iraqi man who was jailed after throwing his shoes at then-President George W. Bush last year arrived in Syria on Tuesday night , hours after being released from prison , his employer said . Muntadhar al-Zaidi speaks to reporters shorlty after his release from an Iraqi jail . Al-Baghdadia TV said Muntadhar al-Zaidi had arrived in Damascus . Al-Zaidi 's brother , Dhirgham al-Zaidi , told CNN that the 30-year-old journalist was to travel in a private plane to Greece for medical treatment . Shortly after he left prison , the 30-year-old journalist visited the studios of his employer , Al-Baghdadia TV , where he spoke to other reporters about his experience . He wore a sash in the colors of the Iraqi national flag draped around his shoulders . Muntadhar al-Zaidi said he was beaten with cables and pipes and tortured with electricity immediately after guards removed him from a news conference for hurling both shoes at Bush . He said he was taken into another room and beaten even as the news conference continued . However , he remained defiant about the incident that landed him in prison . `` I got my chance , and I did n't miss it , '' he said . `` I am not a hero , and I admit that , '' he added . `` I am a person with a stance . I saw my country burning . '' Al-Zaidi , who was serving a one-year sentence after the jail-throwing incident December 14 , was given a `` conditional discharge . '' Under Iraqi law , a `` conditional discharge '' allows for the release of a prisoner after he serves three-quarters of his sentence , on good behavior . Watch more about al-Zaidi 's release » . Al-Zaidi said he was compelled to act after witnessing what the U.S. invasion had wrought on his country : orphans , widows , refugees . He said he promised those affected by the war that should he get the opportunity , he would avenge their loss . That chance came at the news conference , when al-Zaidi threw both his shoes at Bush and called him a `` dog , '' two of the worst insults in the Middle East . Bush ducked the shoes and was not hurt . During his remarks , al-Zaidi offered one apology : to fellow journalists who perceived his act as unprofessionalism . Sound off : Was a jail sentence too harsh a punishment ? `` Professionalism does not preclude nationalism , '' he said . Al-Zaidi was sentenced to jail for `` assaulting a foreign head of state on an official visit to Iraq . '' His original three-year sentence was reduced to a single year by an appellate court in April . The journalist 's family and supporters had waited for two days outside the Baghdad jail where he was held , initially hoping he would be freed Monday , but procedural delays kept that from happening . Last week , al-Zaidi 's family prepared for his release , plastering the walls of their modest Baghdad home with his posters . `` We are happy , like any detainee 's family would be happy for the release of its son after the bitter time he spent in jail , '' brother Dhirgham al-Zaidi said . He said the family had received many phone calls from supporters across the country who planned to travel to Baghdad and welcome al-Zaidi after his release . Though many Iraqis hold Bush in low esteem , opinions were mixed in Iraq following the incident . Some viewed al-Zaidi as a hero , with thousands taking to the streets , calling for his release ; others said his act went against Arab traditions of honoring guests . Al-Zaidi 's brothers said they had been offered many gifts and financial rewards , though they had rejected them . CNN 's Jomana Karadsheh and Cal Perry contributed to this report .
NEW : Journalist 's brother says he 's headed to Greece to get medical treatment . Al-Zaidi threw both his shoes at U.S. president and called him a `` dog '' Journalist 's three-year sentence was reduced on appeal in April . Score: 6