It seems that Ahmed Mohamed has become something of a megalomaniac in recent weeks. After authorities handcuffed and arrested the 14-year-old on his school campus for bringing in clock to show his teachers, support has been pouring in from around the world and he has been reaping the reward of the media fanfare.
The promising young buck has even earned himself a full scholarship courtesy of the Qatar Foundation For Education, Science and Community Development after announcing that he wouldn’t be returning to his school. Barack Obama even tweeted Ahmed inviting him (and his troublesome clock) to the White House.
Images VIA
However, since his high-profile meetings with Google co-founder Sergey Brin and the Queen of Jordan, Ahmed has been getting a trifle too big for his boots. His family are now demanding $15 million of compensation. One can’t help but think he could of started the bidding slightly lower?
He’s also seeking a cherry on top of his cool fifteen, demanding written apologies from both the local police chief, the local mayor and the school district. Here’s what the Irving local newspaper had to say about the settlement:
Attorneys for the family of Ahmed Mohamed, the Irving high school student who made headlines after being arrested for bringing a homemade clock to school, have sent letters to the city of Irving and the Irving School District demanding apologies and $15 million in damages.
Both letters claim that Mohamed’s civil rights were violated, and he and his family have suffered physical and mental anguish because of the ordeal.
The letters claim Ahmed was singled out “because of his race, national origin, and religion. Ahmed never threatened anyone, never caused harm to anyone, and never intended to,” read the letter to the city.
“The only one who was hurt that day was Ahmed, and the damages he suffered were not because of oversight or incompetence. The school and city officials involved knew what they needed to do to protect Ahmed’s rights. They just decided not to do it.”
Ahmed is demanding $5 million from the school district and $10 million from the city of Irving itself. It is more than dubious that he will ever receive the $15 million. Nonetheless, his optimism is inspiring and if Wonga had to pay £2.6 million for conning their customers he has got some what of a leg to stand on.
