$20 million and apology: US teenager demands compensation after ‘public humiliation’ when his clock was mistaken for a bomb
More than $20 million and apology: that’s how Ahmed Mohamed wants to be compensated after the 14-year-old boy was arrested after taking a homemade clock to school.
Ahmed’s lawyers demanded US$10 million (approx. AU$13.9 million) from the city of Irving and US$5 million (approx. AU$6.95 million) from the Irving Independent School District after the teenager’s clock had been suspected to be a bomb. The lawyers, who claim the teenager was publicly humiliated, demanded written apologies as well.
Ahmed’s lawyer Kelly Hollingsworth said the long term effects on Ahmed were “incalculable.” "What has happened to this family is inexcusable," AP quoted the lawyer as referring to Ahmed's siblings who went to Qatar for studies. "Ahmed is very gratified by all of the support that he has received, but just like his siblings and his parents, he misses Texas."
It was in September when Ahmed took the clock to school to show it to his teachers, and an educator thought it was a bomb. Ahmed was subsequently arrested and suspended from school. However, he was never charged.
According to Hollingsworth, it is difficult to quantify damages for the teenage boy after the incident while the lawyer referred to a website which superimposed Ahmed’s face on to former al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden’s.
The teenage boy was “detained, questioned and hauled off in handcuffs,” CNN reported. The school defended its action by saying that it acted with caution since the device had wires.
U.S. President Barack Obama invited Ahmed to the White House after there has been uproar on the social media. A hashtag called “IStandWithAhmed turned out to be trending on Twitter.
Ahmed’s family says their boy suffered severe psychological trauma even though he received support from around the world. His "reputation in the global community is permanently scarred," the family believes.
Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au, or let us know what you think below.