A 14-year-old Muslim student who was removed from his school in handcuffs Monday after bringing in a homemade clock will not face any charges as he continues to garner support from social media— including from the White House. Police and school authorities in Irving, Texas have been under fire after ninth-grader Ahmed Mohamed was arrested for taking the object into MacArthur High School. In a report published in the Guardian,Mohamed, an engineering hobbyist, showed the clock to his ninth-grade English teacher and was later put into handcuffs and escorted by two officers out of the school. RELATED:Sketch released of suspect behind anti-Muslim attack A police spokesman told the Dallas Morning News that the police “have no information that he claimed it was a bomb. He kept maintaining it was a clock, but there was no broader explanation. … The concern was, ‘What was this thing built for? Do we take him into custody?’”
@KRLD The actual device Ahmed Mohamed, 14, brought to MacArthur High School in #Irving pic.twitter.com/ZYqvI27e8P
— Andrew M. Greenstein (@KRLDAndrewG) September 16, 2015
On Wednesday, police announcedMohamed would not be charged and the case had been closed, according to published reports.
“We have no evidence that there was an intention to create alarm,” Irving, Texas Police Chief Larry Boyd said, accordinf to theDaily Beast. “I couldn’t speak to whether [the device] works for sure, but it’s not an explosive device.”
I expect they will have more to say tomorrow, but Ahmed’s sister asked me to share this photo. A NASA shirt! pic.twitter.com/nR4gt992gB
— Anil Dash (@anildash) September 16, 2015
The case opens another front in accusations of Islamaphobia in Irving, a Dallas suburb, where the town’s mayor, Beth Van Duyne, was recently in the national spotlight for comments insinuating Muslims were bypassing American courts in favor of Shariah law, according to the Morning News article. In the Guardian report, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said the case “raises a red flag for us. … We’re still investigating, but it seems pretty egregious.” Electronics aficionados worldwide have also focused on the case, citing the incident as infringement on the freedom to create. Wired Magazine posted their own response:How to Make Your Own Homemade Clock That Isn’t a Bomb.
Thank you fellow supporters. We can ban together to stop this racial inequality and prevent this from happening again pic.twitter.com/fBlmckoafU
— Ahmed Mohamed (@IStandWithAhmed) September 16, 2015
RELATED:New mural adds new faces to diverse Sunset Park block Mohamedhas received a three-day suspension from class, and he has vowed never to take an invention to school again,acording to the Dallas Morning News. The teen has also taken to social media, with the Twitter account@IStandWithAhmed, where he has received a flood of support, including from President Barack Obama, who urgedMohamedto bring his clock to the White House, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, New York City tech entrepeneurAnil Dashand various groups.
Cool clock, Ahmed. Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It’s what makes America great.
— President Obama (@POTUS) September 16, 2015
Assumptions and fear don’t keep us safe—they hold us back. Ahmed, stay curious and keep building. https://t.co/ywrlHUw3g1
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 16, 2015
Dear #AhmedMohamed: Unfortunately, prejudice still exists. Fortunately, there are brilliant young people like you to help change the world.
— The King Center (@TheKingCenter) September 16, 2015