HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Ahmed Mohamed, the 14-year-old student who was arrested earlier this week for bringing a home-built clock to school, was offered a scholarship to Space Camp by an Alabama author.
Mohamed was arrested at MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas for bringing what was suspected as a “hoax bomb” to school. However, Mohamed’s “hoax bomb” was actually a digital clock that he had built himself.
“I built a clock to impress my teacher but when I showed it to her, she thought it was a threat to her,” Ahmed told reporters Wednesday. “It was really sad that she took the wrong impression of it.”
School officials confiscated the clock and alerted law enforcement. Police then came to the high school, arrested Mohamed, and took him in for questioning. Photos of Mohamed’s arrest with him in handcuffs and a NASA T-shirt went viral quickly after the incident, garnering social media attention through the hashtag #IStandWithAhmed.
https://twitter.com/anildash/status/644020453724585984/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Irving Police Chief Larry Boyd said Wednesday that Mohamed would not face any charges. In a press conference after his release, Mohamed was wearing the same NASA T-shirt in a press conference as when police handcuffed him at school.
The incident garnered national attention and support for Ahmed and his creativity, intelligence and innovation. Alabama’s Space Camp tweeted that not only was Ahmed welcome to attend Space Camp, but that he could do so free of charge due to a donated scholarship.
Creative minds are always welcome at Space Camp, and we appreciate donors who help them come. Someone has provided a scholarship for Ahmed.
— SpaceCampUSA (@SpaceCampUSA) September 16, 2015
The scholarship was given by author and Alabama resident Homer Hickam, along with the co-creators of Rocket Boys musical, based on his semi-autobiographical book Rocket Boys.
https://twitter.com/HomerHickam/status/644227094730293250
Alabama’s Space Camp’s support of Ahmed joins with the support of many others, such as Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Mark Zuckerberg.
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
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
At a press conference in his home, Mohamed told that while he was disappointed in the school, the positive response from his community and America has been unexpected and amazing.
“It made me really happy to see all these people support me,” Mohamed said.
https://twitter.com/caseycappa/status/634418932192030720
