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President Obama invited Ahmed Mohamed to the White House

'Cool clock, Ahmed.'

 

Patrick Howell O'Neill

Tech

Posted on Sep 16, 2015   Updated on May 27, 2021, 11:29 pm CDT

President Barack Obama stands with Ahmed.

In a tweet posted to the official @POTUS Twitter account, Obama weighed in on Tuesday’s arrest of Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old boy who brought a homemade clock to his Irving High School in northern Texas only to be accused by police of creating a “hoax bomb.”

A White House spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Dot that Mohamed has officially been invited to visit 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Mohamed, who is reportedly an avid inventor and tinkerer, made the clock using a circuit board and power supply wired to a digital display.

Mohamed’s arrest sparked global outrage online, especially among makers and hackers, who expressed admiration of Mohamed’s pastime and condemned what they saw as racial profiling.

#IStandWithAhmed trended worldwide on Twitter and Facebook on Wednesday as messages of support came in from around the world, particularly from members of the science and tech communities.

Obama’s invite is far from the only one Mohamed received in the hours following his arrest. Astronaut Chris Hadfield is among those who wants to publicly connect with the teen.

Screenshot via Dallas Morning News/YouTube

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*First Published: Sep 16, 2015, 2:55 pm CDT