Invention draws police — and White House invite
A Texas high school student at the center of a storm after authorities mistook his clock invention for a bomb got a reprieve from the highest level Wednesday. President Obama invited him to the White House.
“Cool clock, Ahmed. Want to bring it to the White House?” @POTUS tweeted. “We should inspire more kids like you to like science.”
Officials at MacArthur High School in Irving called police Monday after determining that Ahmed Mohamed’s invention looked like a fake bomb. Irving police detained and questioned Ahmed, then let him go.
Police Chief Larry Boyd said Wednesday that the wires looked suspicious — and that freshman Ahmed, 14, was not immediately “forthcoming ” other than to say it was a clock. He said the incident “evolved as it did as a matter of safety” and that no charges will be filed.
Ahmed, who has won awards for his inventions, said he created the clock over the weekend and brought it to school to show an engineering teacher.
Ahmed’s case created a storm on social media, with #IStandWithAhmed trending on Twitter. Hillary Clinton tweeted support, and technol- ogy and engineering giants chimed in.
“Having the skill and ambition to build something cool should lead to applause, not arrest,” Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg posted on his Facebook page. “Ahmed, if you ever want to come by Facebook, I’d love to meet you.” The Google Science Fair tweeted that it was “saving a seat” for Ahmed at this week’s event.
Twitter even offered Ahmed an internship.
“Hi @IStandWithAhmed, we (heart) building things at @twitter too. Would you consider interning with us?”
According to Irving police, Ahmed’s case contained a digital clock that the student had taken apart and rearranged. Police said the student had the briefcase in his English class, where he plugged it into an outlet and it started to make noise.
Ahmed said his English teacher confiscated his case. A few hours later, the student said the school’s principal and resource officer pulled him out of class.
Ahmed said the principal suspended him for three days. The school district declined to discuss details of the case, citing student privacy, but it defended the teacher who voiced concern.
The Dallas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said Ahmed was targeted because of his religious and racial identity.