texas kid arrested for bringing homemade clock to school

It was because of his name

"Police in Texas have arrested a 14-year-old boy for building a clock. Ahmed Mohamed, who lives in Irving and has a keen interest in robotics and engineering, put the device together on Sunday night. When he took it to school the next day, he was pulled out of class, interviewed by police officers, and taken in handcuffs to juvenile detention, after being told by teachers that his creation looked like a bomb.

Ahmed told The Dallas Morning News that he showed his clock — a simple device, created from a circuit board and a power supply wired to a digital display, all strapped inside a case with a tiger hologram on the front — to his engineering teacher first, who advised him not to show any other staff members at MacArthur High School. He originally kept it in his bag during English class, but his teacher heard it beep during the lesson — when Ahmed showed her his home-made clock at the end of class, she took it away from him. In sixth period, the school principal came for Ahmed with a police officer in tow, arresting him and marching him out of school. The schoolboy says he was interrogated by five officers, who asked why he was trying to make a bomb, and was threatened with expulsion by his Principal unless he made a written statement.

"

http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/16/9335965/ahmed-mohamed-14-year-old-arrested-clock-hoax-bomb

Until I see what the clock looks like, I'm inclined to think idiot teacher, idiot cops.

lmao Texas.

Good, he might had been the new Unabomber.

The result of islamaphobia and zero tolerance run amok in our public education system and the United States. Teachers and police are stupid and the fact that he was fingerprinted is insulting considering that he committed no crime. Hopefully that kid gets ahead in life.

@drunk_pi: not really sure how you find fingerprinting insulting.....

@dammitdanbo: It's illegal to fingerprint a minor without the presence of his parents and a lawyer.

This is how the clock looks like:

Between the Iran is great van getting vandalized by UK police and this clock incident, it's pretty clear where the West is headed. Back to the dark ages of course. I mean it wasn't the Chinese who told the world that they are willing to even commit murder to preserve freedom of speech and freedom. It was the West. And yet here we are seeing people's freedom provoked because **** freedom and freedom of speech when we don't need it. We only believe in freedom when it suits us. Other times **** it really.

@Aljosa23: still don't see how it's insulting.

Also I think it's only illegal to when They are using them to compare to others in a crime case that a minor May he a suspect in. Not for booking, it's a form of ID.

@alim298: sketchy looking case taken to school for no reason is a sketchy looking case taken to school for no reason.

You are probally the same person who would be wondering why they didn't search him and question him harder if he had blown something up or used it to make a fake threat.

Also, I'm going to guess but bombs usually contain chemicals to initiate a reaction and clocks shouldn't have a chemical reaction so.... yeah.

The school overreacted (not surprising because of zero tolerance policies in place in this country). As for the police, now that I think about it, were doing their job based on what the school official's beliefs.

@alim298 said:

This is how the clock looks like:

I don't see signs of an explosive payload. Hell. It looks like one of the science electronic project kits my dad used to give me as a kid.

@alim298: lol then why are you complaining about them doing this?

What did he use to assemble it? An Arduino and some stuff?

Regardless, don't stand out kids!

@drunk_pi: bombs still need a detonator. Imagine IED if you're able. They don't require chemical reaction, that's movie stuff.

The English teacher believed it might had been a bomb. The principal believed it might had been a bomb.

Teacher and/or principal called da' police.

How does a home made bomb looks like?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

@dammitdanbo:

Dude, it was a clock. The kid showed it to his professor and confirmed it was a clock.

It's not the movies. Not every electronic owned by some arab guy is a terrorist.

That isn't to say that the fact the kid's name was Ahmed Mohamed didn't play into people's biases (maybe).

@jun_aka_pekto said:

@alim298 said:

This is how the clock looks like:

I don't see signs of an explosive payload. Hell. It looks like one of the science electronic project kits my dad used to give me as a kid.

Precisely.

That van and that case both were alarming. Charlie Hebdo was alarming. Unfortunately the West is stuck with a bunch of supposedly non-religious retards who don't mind having their freedom and freedom of speech threatened in the cases of that van and this clock but when it comes to stupid tasteless cartoons they are quite willing to put civilian lives in danger because **** people's lives. That hypocrisy is stupid.

I do realize there's a slight difference but what I've been noticing regarding this certain type of belief in freedom and freedom of speech that's becoming a dilemma in the West is the almost cultist approach of the so-called bright minded intellectuals in the West and how they try to shove their own definition of freedom down people's throats and how they speak of freedom as if that's what matters while the truth is that nothing should matter more than people's well-being.

Although perhaps in both cases, extreme and unnecessary measures were taken but still people's safety matters.

I see Obama didn't wait to take advantage of the situation. Remember the whole "my son would look like Trayvon" shit you got into.

@jun_aka_pekto said:

@alim298 said:

This is how the clock looks like:

I don't see signs of an explosive payload. Hell. It looks like one of the science electronic project kits my dad used to give me as a kid.

Have to admit, that looks more suspicious than what I had initially imagined when I first heard about this story. Even so, this should have never progressed to the point where the boy was arrested. While I do believe the fact he was Muslim played a part in what happened, I also think that zero policy shenanigans played a major role as well.

My daughter (10) has a swiss army knife (no, she didn't take it to school) and in class she mentioned it to her teachers when asked some of the cool things she like to play with. Oh boy, the phone calls and phony concern I got from the school staff were ridiculous. In the end I laughed at the situation and just told my daughter not to mention that kind of stuff in school.

´Cause the "victim" is muslim.

Sorry I mistakenly deleted my second post in this thread:

Yes I am that same person. Because I don't believe freedom holds greater value than people's lives. That's retarded.

Freedom is for people not the other way around.

Has nothing to do with him being a Muslim.

So are clocks on bombs.

@drunk_pi: I don't think the guy thinking bombs only consist of chemicals reactions should talk about movie born ideas. Let me guess, you pictured 2 different colored fluids mixing to create a 3rd color that turns into a boom boom juice.....

Like I said, bombs still needs detonators, comfortable payload space in the case, it's not hard to imagine people wanting to be sure....

Boston bombing was only a pressure cooker.....

Overreacting teachers , he showed it off so they could clearly see it was not a bomb.

But i do get that they might have been a bit concerned, i think we have plenty of proof, that even the most docile muslim can turn out to be an extremist.

@alim298: "though perhaps in both cases, extreme and unnecessary measures were taken but still people's safety matters."

That's all that matters.

@br0kenrabbit: look up pressure cooker bombs. I linked it but it's not showing up.

Using clocks and watches is not movie stuff.

He built a clock that looks like a suitcase bomb and wonders why he got in trouble

He's as stupid as a pile of rocks.

MIT professors are reaching out to him like crazy. Safe to say he is more intelligent than you or I could hope to be.

Timers yes, clocks no. Ask yourself: who exactly would the clock be for? Even if your intention was to alert someone before it went off, you typically wouldn't want them to know when it's going off, especially if you're using it as a negotiation tactic.

Edit: Awesome bomb story - Damn interesting.

That's setting a pretty low bar.

The kid might be bright, but let's be real it's a homemade clock.

Kid didn't even use a potato, I mean c'mon. He's no Macgyver

I'm assuming he has done other stuff as he said he through the clock together in 20 minutes.

Plus I didn't see any chemicals inside that pic from the clock at all. In order to make a Bomb, it would required chemicals compounds to detonate the fuse in order to explode. Now where to get such a thing, well, that's out of my expertise and I'm sure a 14 year old could ever get such a thing. [Black Market maybe?]

Ehhh, they're doing it for the publicity.

When's the last time you ever saw one of the big schools get on the news for a student doing a good thing?

He may be smart with some things but his inability to understand how the world works will make sure he has no impact on it.

@br0kenrabbit: because timers and alarm clocks are sooo different.......come on dude, really?

Its not about the time being presented, it's about the reaction it makes internally when it hits a certain time. His creation had every bit of potential of being a timer.

He's 14.

Lets check in in 20 years and see what had more impact on the world, this kid or panicgamer.

I built more elaborate things when I was 9, and guess what? I didn't hide them in a briefcase to look like a bomb and then was too stupid to understand why I was in trouble.

I'm shocked you're actually defending someone building a clock that looks like a briefcase bomb.

Ehmm, i think its safe to assume that he is at least intelligent enough to understand how to build a clock.

Problem is that the teachers did not have the ability to see that it was a simple clock not a bomb and overreacted.

Talk to ya in 20 years.

Well that's unfortunate but today people over react to avoid events that have occurred in the past. If the next kid brings in a clock that turns out to be a bomb and kills classmates then the school will be demonized for allowing homemade clocks. It's better to err on the side of caution and maybe talk to a teacher before bringing in the item. Anyway I expect it will be cleared up soon.

He got the attention of NASA too.

Anyways, kudos on the boy. Lets hope he continues his curiosity.

The world needs more brilliant engineers, and he has a lot of potential.

His only crime is that he wasn't white. lol Murica'.

Because it was not a bomb some of you are saying the school officials and police are stupid. If it had been a bomb and blew up you would say where are the police and school officials. They should have stopped it. Muslims use kid as suicide bombers. Maybe that is why he got a little more attention.

People act as if this is the first time a school has lost their minds over something.