Texas whiz kid arrested for mistaken 'bomb' clock moving to Qatar after meeting President Obama
BY ALFRED NG, MEG WAGNER
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Updated: Tuesday, October 20, 2015, 8:09 PM
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CHRIS JACKSON/GETTY IMAGESAhmed Mohamed, the clock-making whiz kid, along with his family, will be leaving the U.S. for Qatar to finish his education.
Less than a day after hugging President Obama, the Texas whiz kid arrested for his homemade clock mistaken for a bomb is moving to the Middle East.
After leaving his high school following the "bomb" hoax, clock kid Ahmed Mohamed, 14, will finish his education with the Young Innovators Program, accepting a full scholarship for high school and college in Doha, Qatar.
“Qatar was a cool place to visit. I loved the city of Doha because it’s so modern. I saw so many amazing schools there, many of them campuses of famous American universities,” Ahmed said through a family statement.
The family visited Qatar earlier this month, and was impressed by the community and international campuses in Education City, according to the statement. The city is surrounded by satellite campuses for top schools, including Georgetown, Northwestern and Carnegie Mellon.
The move comes as a reaction to the racism the family has faced as a result of the school's mix-up, the family noted.
"We are going to move to a place where my kids can study and learn and all of them being accepted by that country," Ahmed's father, Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed, told the Dallas Morning News.
But before Ahmed leaves the U.S., he's headed back to Irving to pick up his confiscated clock from police, according to reports.
This decision to leave was revealed several hours after Ahmed met the Commander in Chief Monday at "Astronomy Night" at the White House.
"It was amazing, and a honor meeting #president #obama!!!" an enthusiastic Ahmed tweeted alongside a photo of him hugging the president.
Obama gave the teen a personal invite to Monday's White House event after his arrest last month. The teen was led out of Irving's MacArthur High School in his NASA T-shirt and handcuffs after one of his teachers thought he had brought a bomb to class.
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President Obama talks with 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed (c.) during the second Astronomy Night on the South Lawn of the White House Monday.
The "bomb" was actually a homemade clock the whiz built for another class. Although police did not charge him for having a hoax bomb, he was briefly suspended from school.
"Cool clock, Ahmed. Want to bring it to the White House?" President Obama tweeted out to him in September. "We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It's what makes America great."
Between his arrest and his White House visit, Ahmed visited the Google and Facebook campuses. At one point, he said he wanted to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology and become an engineer.
At Monday's Astronomy Night, Ahmed posed for pictures with NASA astronaut Alvin Drew shortly before Obama addressed the students on the South Lawn. The President told the crowd that NASA was developing the capabilities to send humans to Mars in the 2030s.
"That means some of the young people who are here tonight might be working on that project," Obama said. "Some of you might be on your way to Mars. America can do anything."
Earlier Monday, Ahmed said he was grateful for the president's support and said he's OK with the nickname that so many have given him over the past few weeks — "clock kid."
/APAhmed was arrested last month after one of his teacher thought his homemade clock was a bomb.
He said the lesson of his experience is: "Don't judge a person by the way they look. Always judge them by their heart."
With News Wire Services
COMMENTS
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This is the biggest joke and slap in the face to the American patriots. This kid is nothing short of a d-bag motivated by 15 minutes of fame and encouraged by his parents to soak up those minutes in an attempt to exploit the muslim agenda. It is my opinion that this kid and his family have no priority motives to benefit society. His motive is Islam and an attempt to soften our attitudes to islamic people, when in fact our awareness should be higher than ever right now. America is still on a national security alert since 9/11. The clock was made to resemble a bomb, I don't care what Ahmad backers say. PERIOD. I would shove this clock up his rear and punch him in the face if he came to my school with it.
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