White House hosts Texas student arrested for homemade clock washingtonpost

Ahmed Mohamed, 14, thanks supporters during a news conference in September at his home in Irving, Texas. (AP/Brandon Wade)
Ahmed Mohamed, the Texas student who was arrested in September for bringing a homemade clock to school, met President Obama at the White House on Monday evening.
Ahmed, who was wearing a NASA T-shirt when he was handcuffed for his teenage engineering feat, was one of 300 guests at the White House for Astronomy Night, an event meant to encourage young people to pursue careers in science and engineering.
The 14-year-old Muslim student became suddenly famous last month after he built a clock and brought it to school to show his teachers. School officials, suspecting it was a bomb, turned Ahmed over to the police.
His arrest drew worldwide attention and made him an instant cause célèbre among those who said he was the subject of stereotyping and overly harsh school discipline.
“Cool clock, Ahmed,” President Obama tweeted at the time. “Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It’s what makes America great.”
The president and Ahmed did not have a formal meeting at the White House Monday, but they spoke briefly during the Astronomy Night event, according to the Associated Press. see more