BAGHDAD  The Iraqi television reporter who flung his shoes at President Bush during a news conference is scheduled to appear before a judge Wednesday, the first step in a potential criminal prosecution against him, members of the reporter’s family said.

At the appearance, a criminal court judge will decide whether there is sufficient cause to try the reporter, Muntader al-Zaidi, 29, who has become a folk hero in much of the Arab world for his actions against the president in Baghdad on Sunday evening.

Throwing a shoe at a person is considered a particularly severe insult and a sign of disrespect in the Arab world.

Mr. Zaidi, who has been held by the authorities since Sunday, has not yet been charged. But Iraqi criminal lawyers not involved in the case say there are several possible charges he could face, including initiating an aggressive act against the head of a foreign state on an official visit, with a potential punishment of seven years in prison.