Baghdad - The family of Iraqi TV journalist Montasser al- Zaidi, who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush, is fearful that he is now being mistreated by police, al-Zaidi's brother told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa Tuesday.

"We don't know where he is," Oudai al-Zaidi told dpa by telephone. "We fear that he might be mistreated after seeing footage of the guards taking him on TV."

Oudai also turned down an invitation by the Venezuelan President to come and live in the Latin country.

"We are grateful to President Hugo Chavez. However we are Iraqis, we live in Iraq," Oudai said speaking on the behalf of his family.

Al-Zaidi, a reporter for the Al-Baghdadiyia channel, threw his shoes at Bush and, in Arabic, called him a "dog" during the press conference on Sunday. Bush dodged both shoes while Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki stood next to him. (dpa)