CNN is reporting that Ahmed Mohamed, the 14-year-old boy who was arrested for bringing a homemade clock to school, has switched schools. He is leaving MacArthur High School and he and his parents are choosing another school where, we assume, he won’t be arrested for curiosity.
Ahmed gained Internet fame two days ago when school officials called the police when he brought a homemade clock to school. Officials thought the clock, encased in a handsome metal case, looked like a bomb. Ahmed said he was interrogated at school by police.
”They told me ‘No, you can’t call your parents,’” Ahmed said. “‘You’re in the middle of an interrogation at the moment.’ They asked me a couple of times, ‘Is it a bomb?’ and I answered a couple of times, ‘It’s a clock.’”
“I felt like I was a criminal,” the teenager said. “I felt like I was a terrorist. I felt like all the names I was called.”
Ahmed said he was scared at first but now he is happy. In fact, President Obama invited him to the White House and multiple colleges and Valley notables – including Mark Zuckerberg – have offered their support. It’s unclear what he’s building next, but I can’t imagine he’ll have trouble finding cool parts.
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 (@POTUS44) September 16, 2015
Join 10k+ tech and VC leaders for growth and connections at Disrupt 2025
Netflix, Box, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, Vinod Khosla — just some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech. Grab your ticket before doors open to save up to $444.
Join 10k+ tech and VC leaders for growth and connections at Disrupt 2025
Netflix, Box, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, Vinod Khosla — just some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss a chance to learn from the top voices in tech. Grab your ticket before doors open to save up to $444.
https://twitter.com/twitter/status/644261776146632704
https://vine.co/v/eUpTbbOUO0B
You can make your own clock and support @IStandWithAhmed #IStandWithAhmed http://t.co/eid1cgKkvo pic.twitter.com/nWQGXRD5Y3
— Popular Science (@PopSci) September 18, 2015