The Clock That Caught Obama's and Zuckerberg's Attention

Ahmed Mohamed (14) is an outstanding engineering student attending MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas. Ahmed decided to put his engineering lessons into practice by building a sophisticated homemade clock. However, he did not anticipate the chain of events that would unfold when he brought the clock to school to show his engineering teacher: another teacher, suspecting the device was a bomb, quickly reported it to the authorities. As a result, Ahmed was led away by four police officers, handcuffed, to the local police station.

Ahmed Mohamed with the clock he built

He was suspended from school and subjected to questioning. Despite repeatedly asserting to the investigators that it was just a digital clock, the officers doubted his words, and the intense interrogation continued for over five hours without allowing him to contact his parents. News of the event soon spread, reached social networks, and eventually caught the attention of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and even the President of the United States, Barack Obama.

How did they respond?

"Cool clock, Ahmed," Barack Obama tweeted. "Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to enjoy science. That’s what makes America great."

Zuckerberg also praised him: "Having the talent and ambition to build something so cool should lead to applause, not arrest," wrote Zuckerberg. "Ahmed, if you ever want to come by here, I'd love to meet you. Keep building."