ICYMI: "Clock Kid" Ahmed Mohamed and Family Seeking $15M in Damages

The story of Ahmed Mohamed went viral after he was arrested for bringing a homemade clock to school. His teacher contacted police claiming the clock looked like a bomb. Mohamad was handcuffed, and brought to the police station where he was interrogated before being released without being charged with any crimes. Officials at his school said that they defended their decision, and that they were only concerned with the safety of students. His story gained international attention and even an invitation to the White House.

His arrest was widely criticized on social media, causing a number of celebrities and politicians to tweet about him using the hashtag, #IStandWithAhmed. Among the influential people he met were Google co-founder, Sergey Brin, and officials from Turkey, Sudan and Jordan. He also met President Obama when he attended a science evening at the White House and TIME Magazine named him among its "30 Most Influential Teens of 2015" list.

In October, The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community offered him a full scholarship which he accepted. His family has said that they will be leaving Texas and moving to Qatar to continue Ahmed’s education.

The family recently announced that it is seeking $15 million from his city and school to compensate for physical and emotional damage. They have also asked for written apologies from the local mayor and police chief.

The Mohamed family’s lawyers said that if the City of Irving and School District did not agree to the compensation and written apologies, they would be filing a civil action. In a letter addressed to city authorities the lawyers wrote, “Ahmed never threatened anyone, never caused harm to anyone, and never intended to. The only one who was hurt that day was Ahmed, and the damages he suffered were not because of oversight or incompetence,” The letter continues, “The school and city officials involved knew what they needed to do to protect Ahmed's rights. They just decided not to do it.”

The letter demands that $10 million be paid to the family by the City of Irving, and $5 million from the school district.

-Bronte P., The OTG Team

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