Fourteen-year-old Ahmed Mohamed who was arrested when the clock he made at home and brought to school was thought to be a bomb, is now demanding an apology and $15 million as compensation for the unjust treatment meted out to him.
The teenager from Irving, Texas, was later released and no charges were filed. In the aftermath, the teenage inventor was invited to Facebook and Google. He even met President Barack Obama and went on to be named as one of the "30 Most Influential Teens of 2015" by Time magazine.
However, that was in September. Now Ahmed and his family are contemplating taking legal action. Lawyers for the teen and his family have written to the Irving Independent School District and the City of Irving, demanding $15 million as compensation for the "severe psychological trauma" the boy experienced.
Demanding $5 million and $10 million from the school district and the city, respectively, the letter says that Ahmed was "publicly mistreated." In the event the apology and the monetary compensation demands are not met, a lawsuit will be filed against the school district and the city.
The letter reveals that the lawyers will wait 60 days before filing the civil lawsuit. Per the letter, the written apology should be from Mayor Beth Van Duyne, "acknowledging that she has never been presented with any evidence that Ahmed was a 'pawn' in any 'civilization jihad' or that the events here were planned by Ahmed's family or friends as part of an 'influence operation.'"
The second written apology should be from Larry Boyd, the police chief, acknowledging that Ahmed never intended to threaten anybody. Moreover, Ahmed's interrogation, arrest and detention were wrong.
For the unfamiliar, Ahmed dabbles in robotics and his arrest had created quite a furor, sparking off debates on racism that suggested the ninth grader was arrested because he was a Muslim. After the incident, he and his family moved to Doha, Qatar.
The school district has stated that the lawyers are studying the letter and will respond accordingly. Officials from the City of Irving have not commented on the matter.
