News Article 15

SCHOOL BOY ARRESTED FOR BRINGING IN A "HOAX BOMB"



14 year old school boy, Ahmed Mohamed was arrested after bringing a handmade clock into school which his teachers mistook for a bomb. This is how The Metro and BBC news represented the story: 

"When the clock went off in another lesson, the teacher asked Ahmed to bring the device to her, at which point she allegedly said it 'looks like a bomb'. He was hauled out of class, handcuffed and reportedly interrogated by five police officers. Police say he could face charges for bringing a 'hoax bomb' to MacArthur High in Texas." - The Metro 

Update...

Texas police have made the decision not to charge Ahmed. He told reporters it was "very sad" that his teacher thought his clock was a threat. "I built a clock to impress my teacher but when I showed it to her she thought it was a threat to her. I'm very sad that she got the wrong impression of it." At the same news conference on Wednesday afternoon, Ahmed announced he plans to transfer schools.

Ahmed's father Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed, who is originally from Sudan, praised his son's ingenuity, saying he fixes everything around the house, including his father's phone and computer. "He's a very smart, brilliant boy and he said he just wanted to show himself to the world," he said.

The police have rejected the claim made by Ahmed's family that he was detained because of his name. "We have always had an outstanding relationship with the Muslim community," Irving Police Department chief Larry Boyd said on Wednesday. "Incidents like this present challenges. We want to learn how we can move forward and turn this into a positive".

The boy was placed in handcuffs and fingerprinted. He was released after it was determined there was no threat. - BBC NEWS 

As a result of this event, Ahmed has been recognised by important figures such as President Obama and Mark Zuckerberg which can be seen in the images below. 


 




MY OPINION ON THE NEWS STORY

I think it is awful that Ahmed's clock was mistaken for a bomb because the teachers and police immediately panicked and disregarded his talent and I believe they had this reaction due to his religion (muslim) and the negative stereotypes the media has created around this belief. Although the police claimed that this was not the reason they arrested him, I feel it still partly is because if, for example, a white boy had brought in a hand made clock, the teachers would be very unlikely to phone the police so I believe this incident was down to Islamaphobia. Ahmed must have been very upset because he innocently made a clock which he was clearly very proud of and for it to be disregarded in such a harsh manner is unacceptable and I am glad he is gaining the recognition he deserves.