Police in Texas have arrested a 14-year-old boy for building a clock. Ahmed Mohamed, who lives in Irving and has a keen interest in robotics and engineering, put the device together on Sunday night. When he took it to school the next day, he was pulled out of class, interviewed by police officers, and taken in handcuffs to juvenile detention, after being told by teachers that his creation looked like a bomb.
Ahmed told The Dallas Morning News that he showed his clock — a simple device, created from a circuit board and a power supply wired to a digital display, all strapped inside a case with a tiger hologram on the front — to his engineering teacher first, who advised him not to show any other staff members at MacArthur High School. He originally kept it in his bag during English class, but his teacher heard it beep during the lesson — when Ahmed showed her his home-made clock at the end of class, she took it away from him.
In sixth period, the school principal came for Ahmed with a police officer in tow, arresting him and marching him out of school. The schoolboy says he was interrogated by five officers, who asked why he was trying to make a bomb, and was threatened with expulsion by his Principal unless he made a written statement.
Irving police might still charge Ahmed with making a "hoax bomb." Police spokesperson James McLellan said Ahmed "kept maintaining it was a clock" when he was brought in for interrogation, but that he offered "no broader explanation." When asked by The Dallas Morning News what broader explanation Ahmed could have given for a clock that was actually a clock, McLellan said the creation "could reasonably be mistaken as a device if left in a bathroom or under a car."
A police report released on Tuesday cites three MacArthur High teachers as complainants against Ahmed for the "hoax bomb."
Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed, Ahmed's father, says his child suffered because of prejudice against Muslims. "Because his name is Mohamed and because of September 11th," Mohamed told The Dallas Morning News, "I think my son got mistreated." The Council on American-Islamic Relations is already investigating Ahmed's case, with Alia Salem, the director of the council's North Texas chapter, saying that it seemed "pretty egregious."
Ahmed said he was a member of his middle school's robotics club, and had tried to find a similar group in his high school. Now the 14-year-old — born in the same year that the terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon took place — says he'll no longer bring any of his inventions into school. A picture reportedly taken by Ahmed's sister shows him in handcuffs at the juvenile detention center, sporting a NASA T-shirt and an understandably confused expression. Ahmed was fingerprinted, before being allowed to return home, but is still serving a three-day suspension from school.
Many in the maker and tech community have already rallied around him. A hashtag — #IStandWithAhmed — rapidly rose to become one of Twitter's top trending topics, and support has come from a number of sources, including a JPL engineer who offered Ahmed the chance to see a Mars rover whenever he wants. Ahmed's father says his son "just wants to invent good things for mankind" — we can hope that the police reaction won't dissuade the talented young creator from making good on his dream.
culled from theverge.com
The arrest made him popular.
ReplyDeleteYes
DeleteWe now know him!
Inukwa akuko.
@ LaFRESH am telling you.
DeleteSaw it on CNN
DeleteObama has invited him,facebook founder has too. Teacher ntooorrrrrr
DeleteThat's unfair. They should encourage the boy and shouldn't transfer aggression on him. Not all Muslims are evil. I have personally encountered good ones.
ReplyDeleteHow is this unfair. Yes, it was an error, but if other people had been as vigilant as this maybe those innocents that have lost their lives won't have. If u see anything suspicious, report it abeg.
DeleteI don't blame d teachers. U can't be too safe these days
My thought the whole time
DeleteThey have always existed on the premises of discrimination.
DeleteSame way they treated this boy for being a Muslim... is same way they treat blacks over there and it gets worse if you are a Nigerian.
It's the perception of frequent happenings generalised to everyone and everything under same category.
In trying to be careful....they have turned to a bunch of racists.
Anyways, the arrest made the boy popular and now he gets to ride to Mars.
Right now u guys absolutely ashamed for possibly ruining the ingenuity of one bright kid who made a CLOCK for crying out loud. Teacher quickly assumed n called out on principal who called the police sigh!!immediately a young star with good intentions was handcuffed and taken to the station (this really pained me)
ReplyDeleteAhmed Mohamed deserves a public apology .I hope he sues the school, huge shame the school brought upon themselves .
This shows "Assumption can Neva keep Us Safe"
hmm wonders will never end,
ReplyDeleteEven Obama reacted positively.
ReplyDeleteAmericans re suffering from paranoia, that's what happens when you are full of evils
ReplyDeleteToo bad! They should relax abeg
ReplyDeleteSuch a pity. Just becos of some few bad eggs, this child was mistreated intead of being celebrated. I pray this incidence motivates him to attempt a greater invention.
ReplyDeleteSuch a pity. Just becos of some few bad eggs, this child was mistreated intead of being celebrated. I pray this incidence motivates him to attempt a greater invention.
ReplyDeleteOh poor boy. They'll subside his innate talent because of prejudice. I also think his name had to do with the seriousness of his harmless invention. Although I cannot totally blame the police because a lot is happening these days, esp with young lads like Mohammed.
ReplyDeleteI think dis boy is innocent.
ReplyDeleteIf it were an American kid that built d clock,it would have been a congratulation post.
U absolutely read my mind. Even if an American boy invented a bomb. He would have been celebrated. Who handcuffs a lil' boy?
DeleteNow that's just an easy way to demoralize the young lad and kill the budding dream. I hope that after the whole show they had find a way of debriefing his violated mind and getting him back on pursuing his goal to become an engineer. Let good people not be made to pay a price for the wickedness of others.
ReplyDeleteNot fair.
ReplyDeleteHe's a Muslim sure, but should be given a chance as an individual, and not for his religion.
POTUS has invited him to bring the clock to the White House, as an inspiration to others.
Now,that's what's up!
#WhiteDiamondOut
I don't blame them.
ReplyDeleteAll the terrorist activities on earth are committed by Muslims.
Arrested for making a clock?? Dis is serious!!!
ReplyDeleteIf he doesn't white and his name was Benjamin, he would have been hailed as he next Jimmy Newtron.
ReplyDeleteYeah, students have been known to come to school with weapons, but if it were a bomb,he wouldn't have been excited to show it to his teacher.
What happened to them showing it has their engineering teacher to confirm whether it was a bomb or not?
Or perhaps, he knows more than his teachers, bomb squads and law enforcement.
Clear case of Islamophobia.
#WhiteDiamondOut
Wasn't *
Delete#WhiteDiamondOut
That was a very alarming alarm. LOL. And now he is famous
ReplyDeleteHave You Heard about this Juice? Read 12 Reasons why you should be drinking it
Eeya, I feel for the little chap
ReplyDeleteY'all are funny trying to blame d Americans and all. They made a mistake but they were being vigilant. No one wants to die. The boy should blame the people that have used his religion to perpetrate evil acts and not the teachers trying to avoid unexpected. If only more teachers and people had been this vigilant, maybe, just maybe a number of people would still be alive today. Let d boy take his apologies and blame his religion for what happened to him.
ReplyDeleteWhat paranoia can cause. Poor creative Ahmed. Anyway, his encounter with Obama will wipe off all the resentment and pain this incident might have created in his young heart.
ReplyDeleteThis is what the world has actually turn to. I just pity the little boy for the embarrassment they've caused him. So one can't invent something again?
ReplyDeleteAs much as I feel bad for the Ahmed guy, I wouldn't blame the school authority for calling the attention of the police though..
ReplyDeleteA lot has happened around the world to keep everyone in paranoia..
Thank u jare, leave ppl to be reasoning with their anuses.
DeleteEka Joy, no be fight na
DeleteObama wants to meet him
ReplyDeleteAnyway good they have fingerprint him.
ReplyDeleteAll those names Ahmed, etc are synonymous to terrorist. Sorry for the fine boy
This is what this so called extremist Muslims have caused, the rest of the world now judge Muslims innocent or not the same way. God help the world amen
ReplyDeleteI don't really blame the police for security reasons, but the arrest / hand cuff made them foolish, why didn't they take the clock to their engineering dept for verification?
ReplyDeleteThe arrest now has made the lad popular which may have both negative and positive impact on him cos I believe if they see the kid as a threat to them den terrorist group wil now see the kid as a weapon....God forbid if they shld come kidnap d kid and take him to their own camp to train and help him build his skill well..
Very sad. This genius in the making will just get demoralised for nothing and probably lose interest in robotics. Hopefully he won't though.
ReplyDeleteI can't really blame the school either cos the bad eggs in Islam have really terrorised Americans and other nations as well... Just that after determining it was actually a clock, they should have apologised to him instead of still going ahead to suspend him.
Abegi fear of Arab looking types is the beginning of wisdom. Make den park well. Now they know how black people feel when security guards trail/track them in shops when it's the old oyinbos that shop lift. Racial profiling and stereotyping is a way of life he should get used to it.
ReplyDeleteIf I saw an Arab guy holding a strange object I go tear race abeg. Anyone who says they won't are liars or plain daft.
Bloody racist
ReplyDeleteWhy dint dey show us a picture of d clock wo bvs can analyze it f dem n tell dem wot it actually is. Anyways I hope his ordeal in d hands of d police doesn't dampen his innovative spirit...
ReplyDeleteWhat a painful scene, really an unfair treatment I'll say.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame the police. People have been doing it before so the fear is real.
ReplyDeleteStella thanks for bringing this news. I've been seeing the hashtag on twitter but unable to get the full story. As long as terrorism continues there'll always be prejudice against muslims. But on the bright side the boy is now popular. Even Obama invited him to white house.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame the teacher, she did the right thing but feel for the young man,He was really excited, though this has made him popular.
ReplyDeleteThey should encourage the young star..why subject him to torture for no crime....anyway this is the beginning of his fame.
ReplyDeleteEka Joy!!! Hw many times did I called u? Tot your bitteness is only for Bubu & APC, but now I know better Abegi stop taking origin and take sweet honey instead. Mandela says hatred is an act; as we learn how to love, we also learn how to hate, lie, cheat and descriminate. I pray you never find yourself in the shoes of likes of Ahmed Mohammed!
ReplyDelete