Photo Credit: Harrison Jones, Creative Commons 4.0
A Texas town is facing a potentially huge financial burden as a result of its mistaken arrest a school student on suspicion of terrorism.
Clock Mistaken for a Bomb
The family of Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old student in Irving, Texas, is suing the town for arresting the teen after he brought a homemade clock to school. Teachers at his school misidentified the clock as a bomb and reported him to school authorities, who then called the police. Upon responding to the call the police placed Mohamed in handcuffs and subjected him to interrogation for at least an hour.
Extreme Psychological Trauma
As a result of the incident, according to Mohamed’s attorney Kelly Hollingsworth, the youth suffered extreme psychological trauma. The fact that the situation was widely discussed on the internet has resulted in the boy’s reputation being permanently damaged in the international community, the lawyer said. The lawsuit seeks $15 million in compensation and specifically calls for a public apology by the town’s mayor and police chief. The suit says that Ahmed will now forever be associated with bomb making.
In addition to the fact that the city improperly arrested Mohamed, his lawyer asserts that he was never read his Miranda rights, and that he was interrogated alone, without the presence of an adult.
Harassment Online and by Peers
As a result of the publicity surrounding the incident, in which Mohamed’s attorney says city officials tried to blame him for the incident and excuse themselves by implying that he would be a stronger person for having gone through the ordeal, Hollingsworth says that Mohamed has been the subject of incalculable harm, such as a Halloween costume being made in his likeness, and his having suffered harassment by his peers.
Allegation of Racial and Religious Motivations
A spokesperson for the school district acknowledged that it had received a letter relating to the allegations, but declined to issue further comment on the pending litigation. The litigation alleges that Mohamed was targeted because of his race and that one officer even commented “Yep. That’s who I thought it was,” when he first saw Mohamed.
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