Ahmed Mohamed: 'Clock Boy' Seeks $15m Damages From City and School

 

Ahmed Mohamed, 14, who was arrested for taking a homemade clock to class is seeking $15m (£10m) from his city and school.

He was held by police and suspended from his school in Texas because his teacher mistook the clock for a bomb. His lawyer said in a letter that the incident, which made global headlines, sparked threats against the teenager and left him deeply traumatised.

Ahmed and his family have since moved to Qatar to complete his education after the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community offered him a full scholarship in October, 2015.

The arrest sparked outrage, sympathy and the trending hashtag #StandWithAhmed. His lawyers are asking for $10m (£7m) from the city of Irving and $5m (£3.3m) from the Irving Independent School District, saying that Ahmed was "publicly mistreated" and remains scarred.

In addition to the compensation they want an apology, saying that in the aftermath of the arrest, he received threatening emails and feared for his safety, causing "severe psychological trauma".

The lawyers will file a civil action suit if the school does not comply within 60 days, they said. TIME Magazine named Ahmed among its "30 Most Influential Teens of 2015" list.

 

His achievement gave me the rare privilege of meeting with the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama at the prestigious White House and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum. Ahmed also met Google co-founder Sergey Brin and officials from Turkey, Sudan and Jordan.