The family also sued conservative talk show hosts Glenn Beck, Ben Shapiro, and another Fox News commentator for lesser amounts on the grounds of defamation of character. This lawsuit was dismissed in May 2017 for lack of evidence. On November 23, 2015, Ahmed's family threatened to sue the City of Irving and the school district for civil rights violations and physical and mental anguish unless they received written apologies and compensation of $15 million. Although Mohamed was cleared in the final police investigation, he became the subject of conspiracy theories – many of them contradictory, citing no evidence, and conflicting with established facts – which claimed that the incident was a deliberate hoax. Many of them praised Mohamed for his ingenuity and creativity, and he was invited to participate in a number of high-profile events related to encouraging youth interest in science and technology. President Barack Obama as well as other politicians, activists, technology company executives, and media personalities commented about the incident. News of the incident went viral – initially on Twitter – with allegations by commentators that the actions of the school officials and police were due to their stereotyping of Mohamed based on his Sudanese ancestry and Muslim faith. The case was not pursued further by the juvenile justice authorities, but he was suspended from school.įollowing the incident, the police determined Mohamed had no malicious intent, and he was not charged with any crime. According to local police, the reason for his arrest was because they initially suspected he may have purposely caused a bomb scare. He was handcuffed, taken into custody without permission to see his parents, and transported to a juvenile detention facility, where he was fingerprinted and a mug shot photograph was taken.

The local police were called, and they questioned him for an hour and a half.

His English teacher thought the device resembled a bomb, confiscated it, and reported him to the principal. The episode arose when Mohamed reassembled the parts of a digital clock in an 8-inch (20 cm) pencil container and brought it to school to show his teachers. The incident ignited allegations of racial profiling and Islamophobia from many media sources and commentators.

On September 14, 2015, then 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed was arrested at the MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas, for bringing a disassembled digital clock to school.

Remote control timer clock