US clock boy, Ahmed Mohamed and his family has demanded $15m in damages and an apology from the city of Irving and its schools to avoid a lawsuit.
When 14 year-old Ahmed brought to school a homemade clock that a teacher flagged as a possible bomb.
The so-called “clock kid” incident prompted outrage from some who claimed Mohamed was profiled for being a Muslim and wrongfully arrested by police and suspended by MacArthur High School for a simple misunderstanding.
The media circus that quickly enveloped the Texas high school freshman eventually even reached the White House. President Obama tweeted Mohamed an invitation to a White House event after complimenting the clock design.
Mohamed has contended he built the clock to display his love of electronics. Detractors have suggested the clock was purchased pre-made and the entire episode was a carefully staged event.
In the aftermath of the incident, Mohamed’s attorneys assert, the teenager’s name and likeness will be “forever associated with arguably the most contentious and divisive socio-political issue of our time.”
A day after Mohamed met Obama at an October event at the White House, Mohamed’s family announced it was leaving the U.S. for Qatar.
Demand letters issued by Mohamed’s attorneys on Monday sought $5 million from the Irving Independent School District and $10 million from the City of Irving in addition to written apologies from the Irving ISD and the city’s mayor and police chief.
