A man threw his shoe at Hizb-e-Islami leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar when he was giving speech at the Great Mosque of Herat on Friday, eyewitnesses said.

Hekmatyar signed a peace deal with the Afghan government last year and returned to the country in April - after a two decades.

Eyewitnesses said at first two persons shouted Allah Akbar - God is Great and then one of them threw his shoe at Hekmatyar and did not allow him to continue his speech.

According to an eyewitness, the speech was stopped and people tried to leave the mosque at first point when they heard the voices of the two men.

I went to the Great Mosque of Herat for Friday prayer, but when I reached at the door, I saw people were escaping. Then I found out that a young man had attacked at Hekmatyar with his shoe, said Munir Ahmad, an eyewitness and resident of Herat.

I was sitting in the third row when a young man threw his shoe at Hekmatyar and then the people left the mosque, said Nasrullah, another eyewitness.

A young man stood up from the fourth row and threw his shoe at Hekmatyar, said Ahmadullah an eyewitness.

Hekmatyar’s spokesperson in his Facebook page has written the shoe did not touch Hekmatyar’s body.

According to an eyewitness, Hekmatyar’s guards rushed on the men and beat both of them following the incident.

Meanwhile, the National Directorate of Security in Herat said they have arrested the two men and the reason of their move is not known so far.