Ahmed, a ninth grader from Irving, Texas, was eager to impress his teachers with his newest creation - a clock that he invented in just 20 minutes, consisting of a circuit board and a power supply wired to a digital display. The clock and its wirings were all strapped inside a case.
However, his excitement turned to fear when he was pulled out of class by the principal and arrested after the clock's alarm went off during his English period.
"It looks like a bomb," his teacher told him. The boy was taken to a juvenile detention center and questioned by police before being released to his parents.
It was not until the next day that police announced they would not charge the teen for creating a "hoax bomb." Instead, they dropped the case.
Between Ahmed's arrest and the announcement that he would not face charges, social media exploded with tweets ranging from funny to supportive. All used the #IStandWithAhmed hashtag.
Many people took photos of themselves with clocks at work.
Oh God No! SOMEONE PLACED A GIANT BOMB IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS TOWER! #IStandWithAhmed pic.twitter.com/FJZB4GpZtX
— Ol' QWERTY Bastard (@TheDiLLon1) September 16, 2015
Watch out, it's a brown guy with a clock! #IStandWithAhmed @IStandWithAhmed pic.twitter.com/8lzzrEakoi
— Tariq Khokhar (@tkb) September 16, 2015
I got a slow start today because I kept hitting "snooze" on my nightstand bomb.
— Brian McFadden (@BrianMc_Fadden) September 16, 2015
Pebble, which makes watches, tweeted a comment that was at once snarky and supportive, daring the Irving Independent School District to arrest them for making digital clocks.
So, @IrvingISD, we also make digital clocks—you gonna arrest us, too? Keep making, @IStandWithAhmed! http://t.co/OaP47h5GCF #IStandWithAhmed
— Pebble (@Pebble) September 16, 2015
Bobak Ferdowsi, an engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory nicknamed 'Mohawk Guy', offered Ahmed a job in a couple of years.
Hey Ahmed, give me a call in a couple years. We could always use smart, curious & creative people. https://t.co/02a4feMrk5
— Bobak Ferdowsi (@tweetsoutloud) September 16, 2015
Other people pointed out the hypocrisy of the school's reaction ‒ as well as the police's initial treatment of Ahmed ‒ while offering their support to the frightened teen.
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signed,
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ned