Ahmed Mohamed clock incident

Ahmed Mohamed clock incident

Ahmed Mohamed, October 2015
Date	September 14, 2015 (2015-09-14)
Venue	MacArthur High School
Location	Irving, Texas, United States
Cause	Bringing an alleged hoax bomb to school

The Ahmed Mohamed clock incident occurred when a 14-year-old student, Ahmed Mohamed, was arrested on September 14, 2015, at MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas, for bringing an alleged hoax bomb to school. The incident ignited allegations of racial profiling and Islamophobia from some media and commentators.

The episode arose when Mohamed reassembled the parts of a digital clock in an 8-inch (20 cm) pencil container, and brought it to school to show his teachers. His English teacher thought the clock resembled a bomb and subsequently confiscated it and reported Mohamed to the school's principal. Local law enforcement was called and Mohamed was questioned by police for an hour and a half. After being handcuffed and taken into custody without being permitted to see his parents, he was transported to a juvenile detention facility where he was fingerprinted and his mug shot photograph was taken. He was then released to his parents. It was alleged that the reason for his arrest was for purposely trying to cause a bomb scare. The case was not pursued further by juvenile justice authorities; however, Mohamed was suspended from school.

Following the incident, police determined Mohamed had no malicious intent, and he was not charged with any crime. News of the incident became viral – initially on Twitter – with allegations by some commentators that the actions of the school officials and police were due to their stereotyping of Mohamed based on his Sudanese ancestry and Muslim faith. After U.S. President Barack Obama, politicians, activists, technology company executives, and media personalities commented about the incident – many of them praising Mohamed for his ingenuity and creativity – he was invited to participate in a number of high-profile events related to encouraging youth interest in science and technology.