After his homemade clock was mistaken for a possible bomb by a teacher, Ahmed says ‘I don’t want to go to MacArthur high school any more’

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The family of a 14-year-old Muslim student who got in trouble over a homemade clock mistaken for a possible bomb have withdrawn him from his suburban high school in Texas.

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Ahmed Mohamed’s father, Mohamed El-Hassan Mohamed, said he had taken all of his children out of schools in the Irving independent school district in Dallas. Mohamed said the family was still deciding where the children should be educated.

Ahmed said he brought the clock he made to MacArthur high school in Irving last week to show a teacher. Officials say he was arrested after another teacher saw it and became concerned. Ahmed was not charged, but he was suspended from school for three days.

“Ahmed said, ‘I don’t want to go to MacArthur,’” Mohamed told the Dallas Morning News. “These kids aren’t going to be happy there.”

News of the arrest sparked an outpouring of support for Ahmed, including from President Barack Obama.

The turmoil surrounding Ahmed’s case has affected the teenager, Mohamed said, adding that his son has lost his appetite and is not sleeping well. “It’s torn the family and makes us very confused,” he said.

Numerous schools have offered Ahmed a place, his father said. However, he said he wanted to give his son a break before making a decision.

The family plans to fly to New York on Wednesday, where UN officials want to meet his son. He said then if they can get the right visas, Mohamed wants to take his son on a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

“I ask Allah to bless this time. After that, we’ll see,” Mohamed said.

When they return, they planned to visit to White House and meet Obama, he said.